


Nymphomaniacs

by Rheaird_of_Life



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, lost girl - Freeform, no LG characters, not a true crossover, same general world though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 18:54:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5060110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rheaird_of_Life/pseuds/Rheaird_of_Life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke has been a 'lost girl' for most of her life. Just as everything begins to feel normal again, a blast from the past threatens to undo all her hard work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reunions

**Author's Note:**

> I really wasn't sure what to call this one, so the title might change because now I can't stop playing the Animaniacs theme song in my head.
> 
> Anyway, this is in honour of the Lost Girl series coming to an end, *cough good riddance cough*.

* * *

Coloured lights strobed, dubstep pulsed and pounded within her and the other hundred sweaty bodies as they fluidly moved to the hypnotic beat. None was pressed closer to her than that of her best friend and girlfriend, Raven Reyes. Clarke loved dancing with her almost as much as she enjoyed making love to her. The first time was nearly three years ago, and rather memorable. Not just because they were long time friends with an intense emotional attachment, but because Raven had set the place on fire when she orgasmed. It startled her badly then but now she found it amusing and hot - in more ways than one - when Raven lost control like that. If things didn't cool down between them soon, some unlucky fae might suddenly find themselves ablaze.

With this thought in mind they began slowly making their way through the tightly packed crowd and towards the washrooms. Unfortunately, their path was blocked by a most odious creature and it would be a pain to get rid of it.

"Hey girls!" yelled Finn over the music, his shirt popped open and his hair greased back making him look all the more smarmy. "Headed to the stalls?" He winked and Clarke felt like tearing him a new one. "Want company?"

Their moist hands were clasped and Raven tried to steer them around him in another direction. No such luck. The damn satyr would not be so easily deterred, not that she had really expected him to. She had lost track of the number of times he had bothered them, him and his big dick, the part of him that obviously controlled all of his actions. She would be surprised if his brain even knew how to function on its own.

"Fuck off, Finn!" snarled Raven, eyes glowing faintly red in annoyance.

"Ah come on!" he mock pouted while his own eyes stayed glued to them with unadulterated lust. His hand trailed down lower, attempting to draw their line of sight towards the large bulge in his leather pants. Clarke didn't fall for it. "I guarantee you'll enjoy it."

As usual she felt disgusted in his presence and like she would need a long shower to even begin to wash his slimy scent off of her skin.

"You heard her!" shouted Clarke, shoving him aside and into someone else. "Fuck off!"

They continued on their way, finally making it to the outer skirts of the dancing, grinding group of fae. She was confused but pleasantly surprised when Finn didn't pursue them further and wasn't waiting there for them to try once again to change their minds.

They shared a look and Clarke leaned in and said, "You think we finally got through to him?"

Raven snorted into her collarbone, the sound felt more than heard. "Better chance of Pigmen flying."

"I could arrange that," smirked Clarke.

Raven snorted even louder, shaking her head. She pulled back and grinned, "I'm sure you could." Raven looked back to the sea of writhing bodies, squinting. "More likely he just found someone else to bother."

"Yeah, probably," she replied absentmindedly, the scent of the gorgeous woman before her making her forget all about the vile satyr. She pressed herself into Raven, suckling her salty neck, enjoying the breathy response. She kissed up to her ear, nibbled on it as she said, "So, we gonna do this thing or...?"

Raven kissed her hard before dragging her into the women's washroom and locking the main door. They were so intent on each other that they didn't notice they weren't alone. Just as they both tugged on each others pants, eager to get this show on the road, someone cleared their throat loudly and freaked them out badly. They jumped apart, fully intent on killing Finn; Raven producing a small ball of fire in her hand.

Clarke's pupils blew out completely when she took in the sight of the other woman. Her high topped hair was pulled back with many braids interwoven and perfectly in place. A large part of her upper face was done up in dark, fearsome makeup, making her green eyes all the more piercing and alluring. Her clothes were also dark and form fitting, with an open calf length, fur lined coat partially obscuring this. A simple golden necklace snaked its way down her chest, disappearing into the depths of her bosom. Even without any armour, she looked like an Amazon about to head into battle, complete with sword at the hip, where her hand currently resided.

Clarke had been around a lot of breathtaking beauties in her hundred and fifteen years, but none compared to her, not even Octavia, who was part Fairy; not even the woman who had always been there for her, or at least, had _tried_ to be. There was this indefinable and irresistible aura exuding from her very being.

Another second passed before she consciously clued into who she was, who Clarke had instinctively known on sight, even though she looked vastly different than their last two week encounter. She never expected to see _her_ again and Clarke couldn't help but to think of the first time she had laid eyes on her. It was a somewhat hazy and dreamlike recollection because she had been fairly tipsy at the time.

_"Could this be magic, my dear," she crooned into the microphone. "My heart's all aglow."_

_It was 1956 and Clarke was singing her favourite human song of the moment at a Paris party Octavia had insisted she go to. Celebrity fae couples were swaying gently to the love song, and not for the first time, Clarke wished she could have someone for her own. A_ _ real _ _someone. Not just a fling to stave off the loneliness and her bodies physical needs._

_"Having your love, my prayers were answered."_

_As if on cue, an attractive woman off to the side caught her eye. Several men and women were hovering around her, but she was paying them no mind. The woman was wearing an elegant open backed green dress that fit her to a T and was cut fairly low, even by Paris standards. The dress matched the colour of her mesmerizing eyes. Clarke found she couldn't look away from the hypnotic gaze. Suddenly the song became incredibly intimate, as if everyone else had disappeared, like she was just singing it to her. Clarke's body began to tingle all over, and she vaguely wondered if the woman was some sort of telepathic love guru fae._

_It turned out she wasn't that far off._

"Clarke," greeted the bombshell calmly, even pleasantly. She seemed completely unaffected by their sudden reunion.

"Lexa," she choked out, unconsciously taking a few steps back, hitting the somewhat grimy and graffitied wall. Her head swam as fragmented, but vivid memories of their time together burst forth to the surface all at once, struggling for dominance. The room was suddenly far too small and she felt like the walls were closing in.

"Clarke?" said a distant worried voice that might have come from Raven.

She struggled with the lock on the door before bolting out and into the open night air where she could breathe properly. She always felt more relaxed and at peace outdoors. Not for the first time she contemplated taking flight. But she could never do that again, not since that night.

A hand was on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" asked Raven, clearly concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, after exhaling noisily and attempting to stand more upright.

Raven came around to face her, lifting her chin up so their eyes would meet. "What was that back there? Why did you freak out when you saw The Ash?"

Her brain spasmed again. The Ash? THE ASH?! Oh of _course_ she would be the freaking Ash!

Willing herself not to hyperventilate again, she put her hands on Raven's shoulders and very evenly said, "We need to get out of here. I can't be around Lexa right now."

Raven frowned. "Okay, we can go," she said slowly, "but first answer me this one thing."

Clarke nodded even as she glanced over her shoulder and tugged on Raven's hand to get moving.

" _Why_ do you keep using a pet name for her?"

Abruptly she stopped her motions and just stared at Raven. "What do you mean?" Somewhat timidly under her girlfriend's challenging gaze, "Isn't...isn't that her name?"

"It is," said the voice she was hoping to avoid tonight, "but I generally go by more formal terms, such as Alexandria."

 _Clarke, you big dumb dumb! How did you never clue into that_?! Over the past fifty years or so she had heard tell of the current Ash, of Alexandria the Great, but she somehow had never put two and two together.

Taking yet another of many steadying breaths this night, she slowly turned back towards The Ash, towards the woman who had given her the best sex of her life for nearly two weeks straight. An erotic image flashed across her minds eye and she literally had to shake it off. _Focus Clarke_!

"We need to talk, Clarke."

Green eyes bore into blue in a far too familiar and somewhat unsettling manner. She felt like they were trying to pull her in and never let her go. Without consciously thinking about what she was doing, her feet attempted to protect her by taking her in the opposite direction.

She didn't get very far before she found herself ensnared...in a fucking tree branch. The branch was wrapped around her waist and had lifted her off the ground about ten feet. It wasn't squeezing her hard enough to be painful - though that would take a considerable amount given her strong bloodline - just enough to keep her in place. Still she took umbrage to being held hostage, and struggled against the damn thing, attempting to pry it off.

"Let her go," said Raven dangerously, fireballs erupting in both palms, eyes blazing bright red. "I don't care if you're the fucking Ash. I will burn you _to_ ash if you hurt her."

Lexa...The Ash seemed amused by the not so idle threat, though her face remained impassive. Clarke thought she was being stupid. Yes she was strong, but being part Earth/Wood Nymph, she was highly susceptible to fire.

While they faced off, a couple exiting the club took in the scene before them and turned right back around, something she wished she could do too. Things with Raven were _finally_ going smoothly, why did she of all people have to turn up _now_?

Lexa snapped her fingers and the tree dropped her. Clarke easily landed on her feet, none the worse for wear. Even though she knew it was futile, the impulse to flee once more was almost overpowering. She was afraid to get too near Lexa, afraid of what might happen if she did, so she stood her ground where she was, hoping Lexa would let her keep it.

"Go on then," she said, crossing her arms in an effort to console herself. "Talk."

"There is a situation brewing in your home colony, Clarke. I require your assistance." Her eyes flickered to Raven. "Both of your assistance."

She should have been relieved that this wasn't a personal call, but she wasn't. Strangely, she felt an intense stab of disappointment and immediately hated herself for it. She was with Raven now. Someone she loved. Lexa was in the past.

"What kind of situation?" replied Raven, the fireballs extinguished...in her hands anyway. It was very apparent that she didn't care much for their unexpected visitor.

"A dire one."

Raven looked to Clarke who was staring intently at Lexa, but not really seeing her.

Clarke hadn't been back there for three years and that was _after_ her extended leave of ninety-seven years. Needless to say, her last encounter with her mother had been very emotional. She was not eager to relive that experience and suffer through all the guilt and grief like it was fresh knife wounds to her heart.

"Whatever you have to say, just say it," snapped Raven.

"I'm afraid there is another who must be made aware of the situation, and as such, it would be far more sensible to wait until everyone was present. This is a time sensitive matter," she reiterated.

"Fine," Clarke said. "We'll help you."

Lexa dipped her head in thanks and then gestured for them to follow her into the side alley. When they were all present, the world suddenly shifted and before she could even blink, they were in another location altogether...a travel agency?

 _The fastest way to travel_ , read the sign above the pleasantly smiling woman standing before them.

Clarke had used such services often enough in the past, though not in recent years. Such instantaneous transportation was usually only reserved for the fae governing body, various diplomats, and the very rich. Everyone else was expected to take more human modes of transport. Sometimes exceptions for emergencies were made, and judging by the people anxiously waiting for their turn to leave, this was one of them.

"Did you have a nice trip?" the woman said to The Ash, as if they weren't even there.

Lexa likewise ignored the woman and swiftly pushed through the glass doors. Almost immediately Clarke knew Lexa hadn't been lying for reasons unknown. The wind had picked up and she could literally feel the turbulent vibrations in the air, getting stronger and stronger the further she 'reached' out. She looked to the night sky, so different than the one they had just left. It was clouding over rapidly and in the far distance, she could just make out a particularly dark patch that funneled up into the sky. A flash of lightning illuminated a rather large tornado.

Was that what this was about? But why did Lexa need her for that?

Before she could speak, Lexa was climbing into the drivers seat of an expensive looking forest green sports car, one of those concept ones that ran off of hydrogen, creating zero emissions. Figures Lexa would care about the environment. They were after all, intimately linked. Not unlike the two of them...

 _Focus Clarke_!

Dashing inside, Lexa was taking off even before she had a chance to buckle up. She fell against Raven who was sharing the back seat with her. Raven took her hand and squeezed it and they sat in suffocating silence until they reached their destination...her former childhood home; The Light Fae Headquarters. Somehow she had half convinced herself they wouldn't be coming here.

She recoiled slightly in shock to see how vastly different its interior now was. Where once there was gilded antique furniture and illustrious chandeliers lighting the way, there were now trees and vines and many other living things climbing across the vast walls and floors, all encompassing. She felt like she was in a fucking forest and for an instant she was furious with Lexa for changing her beloved home so drastically.

She kept her rage down by gripping Raven's hand much harder than she should have. But Raven made no complaint. She knew how hard this was for Clarke. Once upon a time they had played along these very halls without a care in the world. It was hard to believe she had ever been that innocent.

_A still chubby faced Clarke of ten had her hands on her hips, glaring at her friend._

_"Would you please desist in such childish behaviour?"_

_Raven gave her a mischievous smirk before curtsying in her simple cotton dress. Her hair was done up prettily, in a way she rarely bothered with nowadays - granted she had had the help of Clarke's own handmaiden to accomplish the elaborate updos._

_"As you wish, your majesty."_

_"Do not address me in that manner!" she huffed angrily, stomping her elegant, slippered foot down forcefully. "You know it vexes me so!"_

_Raven's smirk widened as she casually produced a small ball of fire in her palm and then just as casually tossed it up into the air, very near one of the hanging draperies streaming out from the chandelier. It hovered for a moment, looked like it might ignite the fabric and fell back into Raven's waiting hand._

_"You are going to start a fire!" she whined._ " _And father will be most displeased_!"

_"You can end my tomfoolery," taunted the trouble maker. "Simply blow out my flame."_

_She stomped again. "You know very well that I am incapable of producing any wind." Raven sniggered at that. "And what precisely do you find so diverting?" she demanded, eyes slits._

_"I have heard you break wind on more than one occasion...your majesty."_

_Clarke flushed darkly and fumed all the more."How dare you accuse me of such a preposterous and disgusting deed! I am a highborn lady! I will not stand for such insolence!"_

_And she was so angry that she slashed down with her arm, a strong gust of wind shooting out to hit a surprised looking Raven right in the face, like a slap. But a massive slap that knocked her flat on her back. Horrified by her actions, she ran over to her side to see if she was all right. Raven just lay there grinning up at her._

_Finally she had succeeded in extinguishing the flame._

The Ash's throne room was likewise transformed, with a throne made out of the hollow of a still living tree. There was a stoic faced woman off to the side, someone she didn't recognize; she was attired similarly to Lexa, so Clarke assumed she was a guard. However, in the centre of the forested room stood two people she _did_ recognize.

"Clarke!" exclaimed the fashionably attired, drop dead gorgeous woman. She jumped into Clarke's arms, practically shoving Raven off into a large flowered, possibly carnivorous plant. The other person, a tall, muscled man, in a grey v-neck t simply stared at the pair without expression.

"It's been so long!" she chattered excitedly. "How have you been?! _Where_ have you been?! I was so worried when you just disappeared!"

Clarke's eyes found their way to Lexa's for the briefest of instances, an action she was pretty sure Raven had caught, judging by her clenched fist. Or perhaps she was just pissed at Octavia for shoving her aside?

In any case, Clarke frantically grasped for something to tell her, only to be relieved of the burden by Octavia herself. The fae super model pulled back then and gave Clarke a once over.

"You've gotten lazy in your old age. Or at least your _style_ has." Octavia tugged at her shirt making a face. "Is this from _Sears_?"

"Yes," she managed to get out before Octavia started rambling again.

"After this thing is done with, we have _got_ to go on a major shopping spree together! I know this super cool, super chic place in Rome, they will actually-"

"Silence fool!" intoned the woman standing beside Lexa, who was now sitting in her throne with her legs crossed and her arms resting on two unnaturally placed tree branches.

Both Octavia and her brother bristled at that. Even from a distance she could see the wiry hairs on the back of Bellamy's neck stand on end, like the hackles of a dog. Or in his case, wolf.

"Excuse me!" exclaimed Octavia indignantly, with her hands on her hips, forcefully reminding Clarke of her ten year old self. "But do you know who I am?!"

"Your status is of no concern to me, _girl_ ," retorted the guard, and Clarke wondered why Lexa was letting her run her mouth and being disrespectful to the people she wanted help from.

Apparently the same thought crossed The Ash's mind for she raised a hand and said, "Em pleni!" And just to make sure she had everyone's undivided attention, she slammed the large wood ornately carved doors shut for good measure, making Octavia and Raven jump.

"I have brought you here tonight to help me stop the destruction of the colony," said Lexa in a quiet voice that carried over to them easily in the now deathly silence. "An hour ago, an elemental nymph began to go on a rampage. She is obliterating everything in her path. The Dark Fae have mostly fled, though a few of them have stuck around to assist the Light. Everyone else, fae and human alike, are being evacuated as we speak."

Things were starting to become clearer. "So that tornado..."

"...is the elemental nymph, yes," finished Lexa. "We cannot simply redirect her course like we would for the natural phenomenon. She is too old and powerful for that. With our combined abilities and strength however, I believe we may be able to get close enough to subdue her."

"Wait," said Octavia nervously, "you want us to go _towards_ this thing?" She touched her blemish free face, as if thinking it might get damaged in the chaos and she might get horribly deformed. "Why can't we just talk to her? Ask her politely to stop?"

Clarke stifled a chuckle as she noticed both Raven and the guard roll their eyes.

"She is long past logical thought. Her mind snapped when she was unable to return home."

"Home?" echoed Clarke in confusion.

"Another dimension," explained Lexa with an eyebrow raise. Clarke felt incredibly stupid for needing that reminder, but not as stupid as O apparently.

"Well, then it's simple!" exclaimed Octavia desperately. "I can just open a portal and send her back!"

"Branwada," scoffed the guard in the same foreign tongue Lexa had just used, and the same one she had heard Lexa utter on more than one occasion when they were busy pleasuring each other.

"O, your ability is only temporary," muttered her brother in some embarrassment. "And even if it wasn't, you'd still have to be able to _get_ to her first."

"Actually, I would like Miss Blake to open a portal right now," said Lexa.

Everyone's eyes snapped to her.

"You would?" said Octavia hopefully.

Lexa nodded slightly. "If we can contact another elemental nymph..."

"...then they can stop _this_ one," finished Clarke with a an understanding smile. " _And_ take her home."

_And none of us will have to go near the swirling mass of death and destruction!_

"How dare you interrupt The Ash!" snarled Indra. "No one is permitted to-"

"Shof op, Indra!" said Lexa in a visibly irritated manner.

Again absolute silence, except for the slight buzz of insects unseen. Lexa stood up and moved over to a small body of water nestled amongst a grove of fruit bearing trees. Without being prompted, the quartet likewise followed.

"Do any of you have previous experience with the crossing?" she asked. They all shook their heads. "That is unfortunate, but not something to be concerned about. Who among you will go?" Lexa said, eyes flitting between Bellamy and Raven and resting on Clarke's.

Anyone who wasn't a nymph would get transcendental sickness from the crossing. Bellamy was technically part water nymph, same as O, but those powers were dormant since he was male, making him for all intents and purposes, all wolf. She knew what he was like, that he would feel duty bound to offer himself up as medium, but for some reason she felt a sudden urge to prove herself.

So she stepped forward and said, "I will."

"Very well," Lexa said, still holding her gaze. And Clarke could swear she had seen the faintest of smiles pop up for a fraction of a second. Though she hadn't accomplished anything yet, she felt inordinately pleased with herself.

She turned to Raven, who was looking vaguely worried, and gave her a brief kiss and hug telling her everything would be okay. Somewhat reassured, Raven grunted her acknowledgment and let her go to face the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duh!
> 
> It took me embarrassingly long to come up with what types of fae everyone should be. It took me surprisingly little time to find a perfect 1950's ballad though, so it kind of evened out. The song is called (surprise surprise) 'Could this be Magic.' And it's by the Dubs.
> 
> Finn is so gross. Lol, I love it. What say you?
> 
> Chubby faced baby Clarke makes me squee.
> 
> Octavia's priorities are on point.
> 
> I hope Raven gets to make something go boom later on. We'll see...


	2. The Necklace

Clarke took a deep breath before submerging her head in the shallow bed of surprisingly warm water. She looked up and watched as a distorted vision of Octavia placed her hands to the gently rippling liquid, closing her eyes to concentrate.

At first nothing happened and Clarke wondered if O even remembered how to use this ability, or if she had _ever_ used it. Clarke began to freak out a bit, imagining this process going completely wrong because O got distracted by something shiny, and finding herself flung into a void of nothingness, between planes, where she would be lost and forever stuck, going mad just like the nymph they were trying to help.

But then the water rippled more fiercely, almost like a boil, though there was no additional heat perceived, and she found herself in another place as seamlessly as the travel agent had managed. She looked around the sparsely kept cabin, noticing there was a fire crackling in the hearth.

"Hello?" she called out a little hesitantly. "Is anybody there?"

When no one responded she walked into another room, which turned out to be the bedroom, and peered inside, squinting against the dark. No one was slumbering away. The bathroom was clear too.

There wasn't anywhere else to hide, so she exited the cabin. It was located on a small piece of towering rock, so as to be somewhat precarious, with nothing to be seen in every direction except for blackness. Even though she was an air nymph, she still felt a flutter of fear at the sheer drop into a seemingly endless chasm all around.

"Hello?" she called again, this time down. Her voice echoed for ages until she could no longer hear it. But she still felt the vibrations in this too thick, fairly suffocating atmosphere.

Feeling a little bit stupid she nevertheless hurried up and spoke her peace. Raven would soon pull her out whether or not she had contacted an elemental nymph.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but one of your sisters is causing a bit of an emergency back in my dimension! And we were wondering if you could help us out!"

She used a bit of her breath to send her words as far out into the smothering void as she could, but instantly regretted it as she became incredibly light headed. Though she was just a projection here, her lungs started to constrict painfully, and she knew she was almost out of oxygen. Sending out a final plea of please, she ran out of air altogether and the next thing she knew, she was coughing and sputtering in Raven's arms.

"You're okay now," comforted Raven into her ear. "You're safe. Just breath."

Having disrobed except for her underthings, she was glad for the cover Raven's body was providing. Clarke was far from a prude, but that didn't mean she liked being mostly naked in front of people she hadn't seen in decades...one of which made her stomach flip unpleasantly every time their eyes met.

The Ash held out a towel and Clarke took it, turning away slightly as she rubbed herself down, knowing full well Lexa was still watching her, and hating herself for secretly enjoying the attention.

As she dressed, Octavia asked, "Well? Did they agree to help us?"

Clarke pulled on her top and glanced over, giving her, and then Lexa, an apologetic look. "I didn't even manage to contact them."

A crestfallen Octavia murmured, "Oh," and then just stood there dejectedly, realizing she would now have to put herself into harms way, or be labeled a coward, a label Clarke herself had internally struggled with for most of her life.

"It was a long shot," said Lexa. Switching gears, "Now then, we must prepare ourselves quickly if there is to be any hope of saving the rest of the colony...and possibly others as well. Follow me," she said, briskly taking off across the root strewn floor and through the large doors she had slammed shut earlier. Less accustomed to the chaotic ground, it took them longer to cross, and so it was that Lexa was already opening a crudely hewn and ancient looking chest, thrusting various pieces of armour into their hands as soon as they approached.

"You can't expect me to wear _this_ ," said Octavia without thought, as she eyed the dully gleaming breastplate. "I mean, just because I did that gladiator shoot once doesn't mean-"

"If this thing goes sideways," interrupted Clarke before Indra could lose her temper again, "I think you're going to want some protection." She scooped up a particularly ugly and dented great helm from the middle ages and held it out to her. "Some assurance for you face."

Most of the mismatched armour was Elf made and therefore quite beautifully crafted and light, but some of the pieces not so much. The helm was one of them, and Octavia staggered slightly under the weight when it transferred hands. Clarke hadn't found it heavy at all, but - and she definitely wasn't bragging - her blood was simply stronger.

As she helped Raven into some pretty rose decaled greaves, Clarke looked to Lexa who had removed her sword and long coat, revealing her toned biceps. She was hunched over, fastening some armour to the tops of her boots. That's when she took a closer look at the golden chain, which was now dangling instead of descending into her bosom...and for once Clarke didn't have a dirty thought. Instead she stiffened in surprise as she recognized a slight (and familiar) imperfection with her enhanced vision.

_They were standing on the outskirts of their ever growing city. Finally, at eighteen years of age, she had learned how to shift. She had been beginning to fear that she would never figure it out, but then suddenly she had, just like her air abilities. Her father was so proud the first time she transformed into her namesake, even if he had had a hell of time controlling her and getting her to shift back before she destroyed their home. She apologized profusely afterwards, and all was forgiven. If only the same could have been said for what was to come._

_Now, a few days later, her dad thought she was ready for flight, a prospect that made her insides squirm in delight. To take to the air, to soar; no finer feeling was known to faekind. At least, in her mind. Before they shifted and went anywhere, her dad took one of his chains off, the one lacking adornment, something she had never seen him do before, and held it out to her._

_"Do not be deceived by its plain exterior, daughter. For you now hold an astonishingly powerful article in your hands. This exceedingly coveted artifact has been secretly passed on down through the generations of griffins." He smiled his sweet smile. "And I would be honoured if you, my dear, sweet child, would wear it on this momentous occasion."_

_"But what_ _ is _ _it father?" she asked, examining it closely, frowning. "What magic does it possess?"_

_"Can you not speculate, Clarke?" he prodded, ever the teacher._

_Flight was her first thought. But that was illogical and useless for griffins. She thought hard for a few more moments before exclaiming, "It cannot be! An immortality necklace?!"_

_Her father beamed at her, drawing her in for a hug. "Well done, daughter, well done." She pulled away from him, making a face. "What ever is the matter?"_

_"Do you have so little faith in my abilities, that you predict I will be_ _ needing _ _this priceless treasure of yours?"_

_He placed his hands on her shoulders."I have every faith that you will soar, Clarke, but I admit myself to feeling anxious at the prospect. It would grieve me greatly to see you injured."_

_She wanted to be angry with him, but couldn't. He was only doing what he had always done; protect her. "All right, father," she said softly, slipping it on over her mane of golden hair, "I will wear the necklace."_

That was the first and last time.

Without a word, she stood up, grabbed Lexa by the arm (who waved Indra off) and pulled her off into the shade of a large tree.

"Where did you get that?!" she hissed between clenched teeth, openly eyeing her chest.

Lexa gave her an impassive, though measured look, before tugging on the chain, revealing the rest of the plain metal rings. "I was wondering when you would notice."

"Why do you have it?!"

"Your mother gave it to me to give to you..."

_My mother?! When did she acquire it again?!_

"...before she evacuated the city to tend to the wounded." Lexa went to remove it and Clarke grabbed her wrist. "She would prefer that you do not number among them."

"I don't want it." _I don't deserve it_. " _You_ keep it."

It was then that she realized just how close they were standing. Lexa smelled just as delectable as she always did. Her traitorous eyes fell to Lexa's lips, something that she was sure wasn't missed by the ever watchful eyes. Clarke hastily put some distance between them before her body could be further unfaithful.

"It is not mine to keep, Clarke," replied Lexa quietly. "You are one of the last griffins..."

_Don't remind me. My mother does often enough..._

"...By rights, it belongs to you."

"What do you, uh, know about it?" she casually asked, even as her heart rate soared ever higher.

"Enough," was the cryptic reply, though it was heavy with insinuation.

Lexa turned to leave, but Clarke again grabbed her arm, keeping her in place, asking something she had been dying to know ever since Lexa popped into her life again.

"Why did you choose me?"

Lexa raised an eyebrow as if to say, really, you want to do this right now?

"I don't mean back _then_ ," she clarified, knowing full well _that_ reason. "There are plenty of other nymphs out there. Why did you choose _any_ of us?" _Octavia in particular_ , she thought uncharitably. "And why did you personally come to collect me and Raven?"

"I came myself because there was no one else _to_ send," she said, even as she glanced at Indra, who Clarke suspected was a Fury. Had Lexa been worried the volatile woman would be overly rough in bringing them here? Had she been worried for Clarke's sanity...and safety? That was ludicrous of course. If that were true, they wouldn't be here, about to battle a freaking monster tornado. Then she remembered the necklace, and it became a possibility again.

She looked back to Clarke. "And I chose you, Clarke, because you are the tie that binds."

"Come again?" she said, utterly confused.

Lexa hesitated a moment before saying, "We are all emotionally connected to you. It will make our magic that much stronger."

Clarke was so stunned by the admission that she didn't try to stop Lexa when she went back to the chest.

_Strong and sure hands that had existed since before The Third Crusade handled her with great care and surprising gentleness, and Clarke came all the harder for it...for what seemed like the thousandth time, or was it still the first?_ _Lexa did things to her that she had never experienced before, giving her an intense and nearly constant pleasure; something heretofore deemed impossible. In her more coherent states of mind, she supposed this only made sense. Lexa had had a long time to hone her craft, and doubtless she still employed some undocumented and long forgotten methods of sexual gratification._

_Long story short: she was a sex demon from hell, and Clarke hoped to burn for all eternity._

_Satiated beyond belief, they finally took a moment to regain their senses that day, and just hold one another. Clarke couldn't remember the last time she had felt so content, so at peace with the world. Unfortunately, that peace would soon be shattered by unwanted questions._

_Lexa's head rested on her glistening chest and Clarke gently stroked up and down her silky, muscled back, fingers skirting over eons worth of accumulated bumps and scars. Lexa also had a large, intricate, somewhat faded tattoo of interlocking symbols in long dead languages she didn't recognize._

_"Elizabeth," Lexa said slowly, hesitantly, "do you trust me?"_

_"I'm not sure," she said, just as hesitantly, wondering where this was going. They had already done plenty of 'unusual' things to each other, Lexa more so than herself. What more could there be? "We haven't known each other that long." And yet it felt like ages._

_After a pause. "I know, and I'm sorry, but I can't help asking any longer. I have to know who you are."_

_What she really meant was_ _ what _ _are you?_

_Immediately Clarke's entire embrace stiffened and her fingers stopped their movement. Her heart raced, all but giving her away. "Why would you ask me such a strange question, Lexa?"_

_There was silence for a time before Lexa shifted positions, so that they were looking at one another. As was often the case in Lexa's presence, she felt like her mind was being probed. It didn't take long after they had fallen into bed together for Lexa to discover she was not the claimed human she had pretended to be. Lexa had apparently been pleasantly surprised by the discovery and hadn't brought up Clarke's deception in the slightest. Still, Clarke had foolishly hoped the ingrained politeness in all fae would be enough to halt Lexa's tongue forever...at least in that regard._

_"You don't have to keep secrets from me any longer. I promise I won't tell anyone." Lexa took her hand, staring at her sincerely. "I only want to know the real you."_

_Clarke pulled away. "You mean, I_ _ can't _ _keep secrets from you, is that it?" she shot back unfairly, her defense mechanism kicking in. "All you'd have to do is touch me and I would tell you everything."_

_Lexa grimaced at the accusation. "I would never force you to divulge your secrets."_

_"No, you only use your abilities to get unsuspecting women into bed."_

_She regretted her words as soon as they had come out. While accurate, it wasn't as though Lexa had kept her there against her will._

_Lexa's face became hard, a strange mask Clarke had never seen before. An unpleasant chill crept up her exposed flesh, raising goosebumps._

_"We are what we are," said Lexa coldly, "I must feed. I will not apologize for using my abilities to help me accomplish this goal. Perhaps if you did not deny your own true nature, you would not give off such strong sexual energy and I would never have_ _ bothered _ _you in the first place."_

_"What do you mean?" she asked nervously._

_Lexa scoffed. "You are obviously much more than a human,_ _ Elizabeth _ _," she said with a pointed look towards her own back, where the small, yet perceptible tattoo resided. "You are obviously much more than a nymph._ _Same as me. If you weren't, I would have killed you long ago."_

_Clarke didn't know how to respond._

_Lexa sighed at her silence and then rolled off the bed, gathering her clothing up and getting dressed. "I am going to go out for a few hours. If you feel you may one day wish to share your true identity with me, stay. If you do not, then I would prefer we take this no further and that you are gone when I return."_

_Lexa finished dressing, looked at her with a hint of sadness, and exited the hotel room._

And that was the last time they had seen each other. Clarke had runaway before Lexa had returned. More than Lexa finding out her true identity, Clarke had ironically been afraid of getting what she had so desperately wanted. Of falling in love. She didn't deserve to, not after what she had done. So she had fled before her attachment could grow too strong.

She had deluded herself into believing that Lexa hadn't truly cared for her either, that a succubus wasn't capable of real love, that all they had been to each other was an epic lay.

When Lexa confessed she had formed an emotional connection to her during their two weeks together, this illusion was thoroughly shattered, and the guilt gnawed at her with a vengeance, like it hadn't done in quite some time.

"What was _that_ about?" said Raven when she finally came out of her daze and returned to her curious and increasingly suspicious girlfriend. Raven was under the impression that they had no secrets between them, and for the most part that was accurate. Clarke had told Raven a great deal about her time in exile...everything except for those two weeks. She dreaded the inevitable conversation, and shamelessly used the current disaster as an excuse to postpone once more.

"I'll explain later," she muttered, grabbing some armour for herself.

"You better," Raven murmured darkly under her breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trouble in paradise? Could be the Ash is gonna get burned after all...hmm...
> 
> Next chapter should be pretty epic. Adventure time!


	3. Blowin' in the Wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not exactly Halloweenie but maybe kinda scary regardless. Have as much fun as Clarke does. ;)
> 
> Okay, so for anyone who is confused:  
> My understanding with Lost Girl was that most fae were mixes of species and had the powers from both parents. It makes sense. There are a LOT of different ones. E.g. Evony was a muse, but she also had the ability to melt people. Bo was half succubus, half ancient, which was why she was so strong. Ciara was a Fairy/Scuffock (warrior) hybrid and could teleport. The Glaive was a wood nymph/telepath hybrid.  
> Also, some fae are only ever one gender. E.g. nymphs, furies, valkyries, amazons...they're all female. No exceptions. In order to reproduce, the father HAS to be a different species.
> 
> In my story:   
> Clarke is an air nymph/griffin hybrid. Her mother is an air nymph, her father is a griffin, which in itself is a hybrid of an eagle and a lion. So Clarke's almost like a double hybrid.  
> Lexa is an earth nymph/succubus hybrid. In this case her father was an incubus (male version of a succubus).  
> Raven is a fire nymph/other generic fire fae hybrid. So she only really has the one ability, but it's enhanced. Plus, she's still wicked smart.  
> Octavia is a water nymph/fairy hybrid. Fairy's are apparently very photogenic, hence, super model.  
> Bellamy is technically a water nymph/wolf shifter hybrid. But his nymph abilities are dormant since (in my mind) only females can exhibit nymph powers. Also, Bellamy and Octavia have different fathers.
> 
> So yes, I see now how this could be confusing. It wasn't to me, but I had it all laid out. Hope this clarifies things for everyone.

Suited up now, the armoured group made their way towards the elemental nymph, stopping some distance away from her reign of devastation. The city was slowly but surely being tossed onto its head, broken glass and twisted metal and fires dotted the ruined urban landscape.

When they were closer, they started to notice that this was no ordinary tornado. Besides its massive size, and expected swirling debris, there was water, earth, and fire spinning around the funnel only to shoot out haphazardly at anything and anyone unlucky enough to still be in range. Even being nymphs, no one was particularly anxious to approach such a perilous combination. But approach they must, and soon, or half the colony would be in ruins before she passed through to wreck havoc on the next town.

Secretly, Clarke had hoped the elemental would have 'burned' herself out by now and they wouldn't have to 'fight' her. She didn't care for violence at all, not since The Event.

"Jesus Christ!" yelled Octavia nervously, who had forgone the heavy helm for something she could actually see in. "She's like the fucking avatar!"

Clarke had no idea what she was talking about so didn't comment. Neither did anyone else.

The gusts of wind were so strong here that they could barely move forward, that is, until Clarke started diverting most of the air around them. Lexa, Octavia and Raven likewise did the same for any earth chunks, water jets and fireballs that happened to come their way. While they advanced on their demented adversary, Clarke couldn't help glancing towards Lexa, and was surprised to find that she was doing the same. It was an oddly soft look considering their present predicament, one she hadn't seen since their last encounter almost sixty years ago. Unsettling feelings fluttered within, and Clarke immediately averted her gaze and attempted to regain focus on the task literally at hand.

They made good progress until they passed a threshold point, where the tornado began sucking them _in_ , instead of out. Though Clarke was concentrating as hard as she could, sweat continuously trickling down and into her eyes, she was beginning to find the exertion too much of a tax on her system, and before anyone could really react, all four of them were shooting up into the sky, getting caught in the vortex. Vainly she reached for Raven's hand but was pulled just out of reach before she could make contact.

The sheer speed of the winds made it impossible to hear anyone else or the bits of debris bouncing off of her armour, and also caused her eyes to water, further hampering her usually stellar vision. If not for the occasional fireball (one of which she just barely missed being scorched by) she would hardly be able to see in this swirling madness. Still she looked around as best she could, trying to locate the others, hoping that they were okay and hadn't been crushed by a particularly large object, like a car, of which there were several in here. Squinting through the remnants of tears, she made out what appeared to be a garden gnome, or was it a real gnome?

Clarke tried to push out of the vortex's pull with her abilities, but was far too weak. In that moment she knew there was only two ways this would go down. Either she did nothing and let nature (or rather, the nymph) take its course. Or she shifted.

A hundred years ago she swore she would die before shifting again. But this wasn't just _her_ life on the line. There was no choice.

_Here's hoping I still remember how._

Without bothering to shed armour or clothing - and really, she couldn't have if she tried, her limbs were more or less pinned to her sides – she found that inner, ancient voice in the back of her mind, allowed it to fill her up with its wisdom and power, felt that forever ago but familiar irresistible tug, and burst forth reborn, like a caterpillar from its cocoon.

For a moment she simply basked in the surge of adrenaline and superiority that swept through her and the primal urges that came along with that. The next moment she cringed at the broken bits of jagged armour whipping away from her to potentially go and harm her sisters. In the third moment, she got ahold of herself and used her enhanced eagle vision to scout out the others. Quickly, she spotted one, and then she unfurled her wings and struck against the pull of the vortex, effectively swimming in the air current as she made her way over to them.

Octavia freaked when she saw this massive beast clawing it's way towards her and screamed. The Fairy-Nymph briefly choked on something that slipped its way inside her mouth. Clarke grasped the struggling girl in her talons and struggled until she had succeeded in breaking free of the pull altogether, out into the open air. As if no time at all had passed since her last transformation, Clarke shot upwards like an arrow, arced gracefully, before depositing Octavia safe and sound on top of a building that had managed to remain unscathed. The wide eyed girl stared at her, at her large glowing blue eyes and said, "Clarke?!"

She dipped her beak and then took off again and back into the fray. Before she got there however, a fireball came spiraling out of the top, and with it, Raven. They were going to collide with the ground at a frightening speed, so she flattened her wings and dove towards her girlfriend, desperately hoping to catch her before then. When Raven noticed her approach, she let go of the flame that she had hitched a ride on, and they more or less collided with one another instead.

Startled, Clarke just barely managed to pull up before impact with the devastated concrete, digging her claws in to bring them to an abrupt halt and avoid hitting a literal brick wall. The force was too much for Raven's grasp around her neck and she still flung into it with a clatter. Clarke cawed her dismay, frowning at the unexpected sound. The hunk of burned metal stirred moments later, lifting its head up to grin dizzily at her. Relieved, Clarke swished her long, agile tail.

"That was fun," Raven said wearily. She focused more. "Damn, Clarke, I forgot how majestic you looked like that. It's so fucking cool!" She winked. "Too bad I'm not into bestiality."

Clarke rolled her over sized sinister looking eyes.

Raven flicked a wrist. "Go do what you have to do, sky girl."

Again, she was startled to hear something she hadn't heard in ages.

Raven held her gaze, suddenly serious. "But come back to me in one piece, okay?"

She cawed her assent and then went after her next target, The Ash.

Preoccupied with looking for Lexa (on the outskirts of the tornado), she was too slow to dodge a vicious jet of water. It cut her half feathered, half pelted side, thankfully not deeply. Still, it stung badly, especially when bits of dirt started finding their way into the wound, and consequently was an unwelcome distraction.

Finally, her keen eyesight pierced through the veil of chaos, locating her former lover. Lexa had also kept her head like Raven, and had secured herself to a large chunk of disintegrating earth the elemental had uprooted, hoping to ride it out. Clarke debated whether or not to simply let Lexa do this and then rinse and repeat her previous rescue.

The debate was short lived as she caught sight of what appeared to be a fire hydrant zinging its way towards an oblivious Lexa. Clarke let herself get sucked into the pull and then struck her way downward, having overshot her destination. She urged herself to go faster, straining every muscle attached to her powerful wings, but was too slow. The hydrant smashed into Lexa, knocking her clean off of the hunk of dirt, and hurtling just out of reach.

Clarke weaved around some miscellaneous objects, dodged yet another fireball, and finally caught the unconscious and somewhat bulky form in her claws.

Pulling free of the vortex once more, she glided on a strong updraft and a safe distance away before depositing the unmoving figure on the ground. She prodded Lexa's dinged armour as gently as she could with her claw, hoping she would stir like Raven had. When there was no response after increasingly rough prods, Clarke freaked and swiftly shifted back to human form. Wrenching off Lexa's dented helm, she pressed a kiss to cold lips, as if she was trying to awaken sleeping beauty (one of the most annoying Fae known to Faekind, besides Finn of course).

The response was delayed, but then Lexa's eyes flew open, blazing green, and she half pulled Clarke on top of her, sucking out a bit of chi. Then she froze at the sight of a nude Clarke half propped above her and was apparently unable to stop herself from looking down and getting an eye full. Clarke shivered, and not because of the chill of the night on her bare skin.

"What are you doing, Clarke?" Lexa said conversationally, as though she wasn't currently in a compromising position.

She caught a glint of gold peeking up through the collar of Lexa's breastplate.

_How could I be so stupid?! The immortality necklace!_

"I thought you were hurt badly," she murmured, feeling the embarrassment and heat running up her cheeks and thankful that all the power grid was down, masking this somewhat.

Lexa refrained from laughing in her face and instead very seriously said, "An easy mistake to make. It's been a hectic night, to say the least."

They looked at each other for a time, the urge to kiss her again growing almost unbearable. Disgusted at her urges, she finally willed herself to get off of Lexa and turn her back.

"I've got to go back in, try to put a stop to this once and for all."

Armour crunched behind her as Lexa shifted into a (presumably) upright position. "Clarke, wait, you're bleeding."

She nodded vaguely. Now that the adrenaline had been staunched briefly, she could feel the accumulation of many cuts all over her body, on top of the gash on her side.

"It's nothing," she said dismissively, angry with herself for needlessly cheating on Raven and wanting to do it again right after.

"At least take this then," Lexa said, close enough to feel her breath on her neck. Clarke shivered again and tried to ignore the other sensations taking hold.

"I already told you. I don't want it."

Then Lexa said something she had heard from only two other people in her life. But somehow when Lexa said it, she actually believed it for once.

"It wasn't your fault, Clarke."

Fighting back the tears, she gruffly said, "And how would _you_ know?"

"Because I _know_ you. However much you try to hide it."

"I've got to go," she said, kneeling in place.

Her father's gold chain appeared before her face. "Please, take it. If not for me, then for Raven."

Another hot burst of liquid guilt slithered down her belly like poison. With a shaking hand, she reached for the necklace, fingers grazing against Lexa's olive skin and then put it on, just as she had done one hundred years ago.

_"All right, father," she said softly, slipping it on over her mane of golden hair, "I will wear the necklace."_

_They went off behind two distant trees to disrobe in private before shifting. She was so excited that she didn't bother to pile her fineries neatly on the blanket laid out, and simply flung them to the dirt. Her mother would probably get angry about that later on, but that was the last thought on her mind._

_She shifted without ceremony, feeling the exquisite, yet enjoyable pain as her bones and muscles stretched to foreign and massive proportions. Though imbued with expanding metal, the necklace was still tight against her feathered neck. Which was probably for the best considering she planned on doing all sorts of acrobatics once she took to the air._

_Feeling even more invincible than she usual did in this form, she stalked out of the forest to find her father waiting for her. He stood on his haunches, unfurled his wings and flapped them powerfully once, lifting several feet off the ground. He stayed in place, flapping every couple of seconds, waiting for her to join him. Clarke mimicked his actions and was pleasantly surprised when she too found herself so effortlessly air born._

_He smiled with his eyes and then turned and began a gradual ascent, taking his time, letting her get a feel for it before they got too high. But Clarke was impetuous and youthful, and was intoxicated by how liberating this was, and didn't feel like waiting. She shot past him, something he cawed at in displeasure. Clarke wanted to go faster and faster, as fast as she could go._

_The landscape below was changing now from trees to fields, and she thought she was going at a good clip. She glanced behind her, looking for her father to see how much distance she had gained on him, and was puzzled that he was nowhere to be seen. Reluctantly, she came to a halt, hovering like a great big bizarre hummingbird, waiting for him to catch up. Then she looked forward again as a massive shape hurtled towards her._

_She had time to caw in panic once before her father veered off at the last second, avoiding collision. He smiled at her cheekily this time, making her narrow her own eyes. Then she grinned, and took after him, and they chased and whirled around each other like children would, laughing all the while._

_She didn't know how much time had passed while they surveyed their domain. Thousands of feet up in the sky, she could see the whole peaceful, darkened world beneath her claws and in that moment believed that it belonged to her, and her alone. Perhaps it was this hubris that led to her downfall._

_The storm seemed to come out of nowhere. More likely they had simply been so absorbed in self rumination that they didn't notice it earlier. Dark clouds and rain hit them from all sides, obscuring their view of pretty much anything other than each other._

_Her father needlessly gestured for them to go, and she was about to follow, when he suddenly froze, feathers bristling all along his neck and front quarters. It was almost comical. Then she heard the whine of an engine and she looked up to find an out of control airplane about to collide with her at considerable speed. Before she could do anything at all, her father had body checked her sideways, making her spin around violently. By the time she regained equilibrium, it was to find his battered, heavily cut and bleeding body falling alongside a twisted, on fire hunk of metal, and a crushed human._

_Man, airplane and beast careened ever downward through the thundering blankets of clouds and rain. In shock, it took her several moments to go after him, praying he was still alive. She had barely moved when an explosion lit up the night sky like the lightning that was unnervingly close. Clarke screamed as his body was blown apart and the mushy pieces that once held so much intelligence and kindness and life rained down on unsuspecting villagers below._

Shaking the disturbing and traumatic recollection aside, she shifted back into Griffin form and took off. Before she got too far away, she looked back at Lexa, to find her staring at her in what could only be described as awe. Feeling determined and emboldened, she flew high above the ravaged city, until she was poised above the opening of the funnel. She scanned the inside of the tornado for any sign of the elemental, and this time, because she was focusing so intently on one target, instead of worrying about the safety of her friends, she located her.

The elemental was where they had expected her to be, that is, on the ground, walking slowly forward like she was out for a stroll and not destroying everything in sight. The street behind her bare feet cracked and folded inward once she had passed by. Even if Clarke was successful in stopping her, the city was going to need to undergo a considerable amount of reconstruction. If only they – correction, _she_ \- had managed to push straight through the vortex without being swept up, they could have put a stop to this ages ago.

She steadied her nerves, then plunged directly downward through the heart of the funnel, buffeting sideways back and forth as the vortex attempted to pull her in again. More things were bouncing off of her, some cutting, and she knew she was going to be sporting some wicked bruises once she stopped the elemental, that is assuming she even _could_ on her own _._ Clarke swerved around both a chunk of concrete and another water jet and then found herself suddenly in a bubble of space where no howling winds could be felt or heard.

Clarke dropped down, hovering beside the elemental, a short elderly lady with a limp who's wig had come off. It was hard to believe that she was the cause of so much destruction. But then again, the Mongolian death worm appeared just as innocent too and was arguably even more dangerous than a whacked out elemental.

The original plan had been to subdue her with their combined powers, but that was clearly out of the question. So Clarke did the only thing she could think of, she grasped the tiny woman in her claw and took up into the sky with her, tornado and all. The hope was that whatever small shred of sense was left in her would be so startled by this change in altitude and direction, that she might stop her rampage.

She had no such luck, and now the tornado, was pointed horizontally, with the other three elements still swirling from the woman's outstretched hands and up along the vortex. If Clarke flew them out of the city and towards the open water, there was the possibility of hurting people in non-evacuated places before then.

She knew what she had to do now, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Her talons were very powerful. One good squeeze would probably do the trick. And still, she hesitated. It wasn't the elementals fault that she had lost control of her senses. Strange how she could apply that logic to others but not to herself.

Clarke mentally prepared herself, and just as she was about to squeeze the life out of the elemental, a red haired lady in a hideous floral pant suit appeared in front of her.

The lady looked around and muttered, "Oh dear. Nana has been very naughty indeed." Then she flew closer, put her fingertips to her feet and...tickled her?

_Seriously!?_

The elderly elemental giggled like a child, blinked and then became cognizant of the person hovering by her feet. "Patricia?"

The badly dressed woman flew horizontally, hovering sideways and placed her hands on each side of her grandmothers face. "Yes, dearie, it's me," she said quite loudly, but not exactly yelling "You can stop obliterating these people. I'll take you home now."

"Did you say home?" the older woman said lighting up, and just like that the tornado dissipated and everything caught up in the vortex fell. Clarke was very glad she had saved her friends first. It would have been difficult to have caught them all before they were crushed on impact.

"I did, nana," she said with a smile.

"Oh well, that's all I wanted," replied the older woman, returning the smile. "But say," she continued, taking note of Clarke's talon around her, "what is this all about?"

More or less floating on her back, Patricia glanced up at Clarke. "Ah, well, that's nothing to be concerned about, nana."

Clarke cawed as if to say, 'Why didn't you come sooner?'

Patricia gave her an apologetic look, as if she had understood. "I'm afraid time works differently over there. I only just heard you asking for help. And then I just knew it was my nana, so I came straight away."

The skies had mostly cleared, returning the city to its former nighttime glory. With the power out, it reminded Clarke of the way her home used to be. You could actually see the stars and contemplate all of life's mysteries.

"If you'll be so kind as to release her, we'll be on our way."

More than happy to see an end to this fiasco, she handed the elderly elemental over to her granddaughter. Said granddaughter spared another glance at the devastated city and grimaced.

"And again, I really am sorry for this mess." She smiled at Clarke while nana patted her beak, "And thank you for not killing her."

Clarke bobbed her great feathered head and then the elementals disappeared.

 _Good riddance_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the conclusion to this mini saga was about as campy/ridiculous as LG generally was. But maybe you feel differently...or have never watched it...:p
> 
> Team Earth or Team Fire? *cue an Earth, Wind and Fire song*
> 
> Any guesses what happens next? (I'll use the best ideas...jk...maybe).


	4. We Are What We Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chap is mostly flashbacks...so yay?

The battered group met in amongst the destruction, Clarke still in Griffin form as she had no clothing to change back into. All quite weary, they slowly made their way back to headquarters. An on call doctor came to assess and tend to the physical damage to each of them, Clarke in particular, and then she finally got to put some clothes on. Judging by the looks of them, they were Lexa's, and Clarke felt weird about wearing them, as if they were girlfriends mixing and matching out of their shared wardrobe. To make matters worse, she kept thinking about the kiss and found herself continuously having to stop herself from looking at Lexa's lips while she regaled everyone with her solo adventure in the Ash's throne room.

When the telling was done, Lexa thanked her for her services to the colony, though Clarke wasn't sure she had really accomplished anything. In the end, it was the other elemental who had succeeded in stopping the threat. Still, there was little point protesting because Indra would probably yell at her for not accepting the Ash's gratitude. The thought made her snort out loud and the others all stared at her (well, Lexa continued to stare at her in that unnerving way).

Then she dismissed everyone, granting them access to any of the bedrooms in the house. Everyone except for Clarke that is. Clarke shared a look with Raven, who didn't much care for the idea, but ultimately shrugged and left when Clarke insisted she would catch up soon enough.

They just stared at one another for a time, and then Clarke couldn't help bringing it up.

"I'm sorry for kissing you like that, I shouldn't have done that."

Lexa got up from her tree throne, walked down the dais covered in leaves and stood much too close.

"No, Clarke, you shouldn't have," she whispered, before leaning in even closer and gently bringing Clarke's hands behind her back. Lexa's lips brushed against her neck creating delightful tremors and then she...felt a solid weight envelop her hands and wrists.

Lexa pulled back with that strange mask Clarke had only seen once before. Clarke tried to move her arms, even wiggle her fingers but found she couldn't. They were trapped inside some kind of box, and the more she struggled, the more numb her hands and arms became.

"Lexa, what the hell is this?!"

The Ash moved a few steps back. "I'm afraid your past has finally caught up with you, Clarke. It's time to pay for your crimes."

The blood drained from Clarke's bruised face. She swallowed hard. "Lexa-"

"You will be given a fair trial, and then the council of light fae elders will decide your fate."

"Lexa-"

"The trial will begin at noon. I suggest you get some rest before then."

Lexa took her increasingly numbing arm and began leading her through the house she once knew so well and down into the dungeons. Unbelieving that this was happening, she didn't put up a fight until she was being dragged into the isolation cell itself. Then she wedged her feet on either side of the opening, trying to push back.

"Lexa, would you just stop for one second and tell me what the hell this is about?!"

In response, Lexa kicked a foot aside and she tumbled in, hearing the heavy metal door close immediately behind her. With difficulty she forced herself to her feet and up to the viewing portal that was open. She was vaguely surprised to see that Lexa was still there.

"You know what this is about, Clarke," she said with a piercing stare and an eye drop downwards.

Clarke glanced at the cursed gold chain and the blood drained further from her already pale features. "But it wasn't my fault! You said so yourself!"

Impassively, "I lied." Clarke felt the words like daggers. "I only said what you needed to hear so that you would take the chain and be sure to stop the elemental without dying in the process."

Clarke gaped at Lexa, feeling those oh so familiar pin pricks in her eyes. Her lip trembled and she was glad that Lexa couldn't see. Then without another word she left Clarke alone to fall to pieces, not for the first time.

* * *

_She woke up disoriented and confused. She was in an unfamiliar forest, she was naked...and she was covered in blood. Not just her hands, but her entire body. The sticky substance was dripping into her eyes, so she swiped it away, watching in a detached kind of fascination as it fell from her fingertips and onto the green foliage._

_Try as she might, she couldn't remember what had happened after...after the plane. Clearly something very bad..._

_There was a severed limb a few feet away, with a wound inflicted by something razor sharp. And then it really sunk in. She had killed someone...possibly more than one person. She was a murderer._

_If caught, a sentence worthy of death._

_Madly, she searched for a lake, a stream, a puddle of dirty water...anything to scrub the stain of her sins away, as if that would make everything better, as if the fae police trackers wouldn't find her, as if her life wasn't over before it had really had a chance to begin._

_She broke down then and sobbed for her ruined future, for the dead, and most of all, for her father._

* * *

_Unable to face her mother with this devastating news, she disappeared that night, telling no one, not even Raven, what had happened or where she was off to. Clarke didn't even know herself. In a daze, she aimlessly wandered the countryside for some time, until she became aware of the suffocating weight around her neck. She ripped the chain off and whipped it into the wind, the touch of its icy cold grip burning, reminding her every second of what she had allowed to happen by accepting it in the first place._

_She walked a little ways away and then thought better of her rash actions. If she was truly going to disappear for all time, she needed some kind of resources. She had nothing on her person that was worth anything, except for her stolen clothing, which was quite dirty by now. Clarke had never really had to fend for herself, but she was sure you needed some money to get by._

_She snatched the priceless artifact up and thrust it back on, hating the way it felt almost instantly. This would be her penance until she could figure out a more useful way to get rid of it._

_Unaccustomed to being on her feet for so many hours straight, and already sore from keeping air born for so long, she eventually needed to rest. She stopped in a small, and by all accounts, human town, sat on the edge of the well, and took her ill fitting shoes off in order to massage their cracked and blistered surface._

_While she was thus occupied, she felt someone watching her from afar. A well to do man that seemed completely out of place here approached._

_"They are looking for you, you know. Your mother is most aggrieved."_

_Clarke stiffened at his words but otherwise pretended not to know what he was talking about._

_"Do not play coy, princess. I am well aware of who you are."_

_She shoved her shoe back on, stifling a wince, and stood to face him defiantly, even though she was weary beyond belief. "I do not wish to harm you, sir, but I will if you attempt to escort me home."_

_"I have no desire to do such a thing, princess," he said, taking off his top hat and placing it over his heart. "I only wish to serve."_

_"Indeed?" she muttered, rather suspicious of this inexplicable character. "So you will assist me without expectation of recompense?"_

_The curly haired 'gentleman' smirked, eyes flickering to her necklace. "I do not believe I ever said anything about that."_

_Was this some kind of treasure hunter Fae then? She didn't know, and she didn't particularly care._

_Recklessly and because no other better options presented themselves, she decided to trust him. "Very well, sir, I will give this item to you in payment of services rendered."_

_His eyes lit up. "What does the princess require?"_

_As penance for her sins, she wanted to become the thing she now hated almost as much as herself._

_She looked him straight in the eye. "I wish to be human."_

* * *

_The procedure was short and simple, albeit more painful than she had anticipated. The individual performing it also left something to be desired. He smelled like he hadn't bathed in eons, and judging by the disreputable looks of him, that wasn't far off the mark._

_When he was finished, she traced the sensitive skin with a finger, wincing, and then began lacing her corset back up. They left the seedy establishment and then the gentleman looked to her, waiting for payment._

_"I require a demonstration first."_

_"As you wish," he replied, with a lopsided, gold toothed grin. He cocked his head in the direction of some raggedy fae children playing hop scotch in the cobbled street. It was well known that fae children were highly perceptive to feeling magic, in whatever form it may come in. The kids stopped what they were doing upon their approach, suddenly wary._

_"Good evening little ones," said the man, taking off his hat once more. "My Fairy friend and I were wondering where we might find a nice inn for the night. Might you be able to suggest one such establishment?"_

_"That's no Fairy!" squeaked one of the smallest and dirtiest children, a little blonde haired girl that reminded Clarke of herself at that age, and until very recently, her own locks of hair. But those had been considerably shortened and dyed now, and only just long enough to be pulled back into the usual fashion of the human age. "That's a human!"_

_As soon as she said it, the others all became convinced of the fact, and took up the chorus, attracting unwanted attention. They slipped away before any questions could be asked. A human in a small fae colony like this was almost unheard of. If she wanted to blend in in future, she would need to go where there were more of them. A purely human colony. The thought terrified her but she didn't let it show._

_He held out his hand and she again hesitated giving it to him._

_"What assurance do I have that you did not have some sort of arrangement with the children? How do I know I have not been swindled?"_

_"My my, you are a shrewd one!" he laughed. "So young! And yet so cynical!"_

_Clarke just glared at his attitude about what she considered to be a very serious matter._

_"I suppose my word isn't adequate endorsement?"_

_"You will not even divulge your name...sir," she pointed out._

_"Ah well," he said with a good natured shrug, "then I suppose you will just have to verify the veracity of my claims for yourself."_

_She did so in the next fae town over, some fifty miles away. Convinced that he had held up his end of the bargain, she handed over the last remnant of her old life._

* * *

_It was 1934, and for the past nineteen (miserable) years she had managed to stay unobtrusive in this human city, taking whatever crappy jobs she could find and that were available to a young woman who was clearly on her own. This had led to more than one situation she was unaccustomed to and appalled by and she was ever thankful that she simply had the_ _ appearance _ _of humanity; but was not truly one of them and could easily fend off the less civil, usually drunken elements, with brute strength. She had been compelled to help several other men and women who were in distress, even at the risk of self exposure. Clarke didn't consider herself a good person, but in those brief and fleeting moments, a sense of pride ignited in a way that was mostly foreign to her now._

_One day in Autumn, a couple entered the current dive she worked in and she immediately knew these weren't her usual customers. These were Fae. While not the first time such a thing had happened, it always sent her nerves on edge. On high alert now, she pretended to busy herself with mopping the ever sticky, cracking floors. Just because she didn't exude a magical aura anymore, didn't mean she couldn't be directly identified, face to face._

_The couple was exceedingly attractive, and the artist part of her felt compelled to venture nearer, even despite the potential danger. The woman seemed enthralled by her surroundings, as if they were in the Taj Mahal and not some dingy old bar. The man put up with her childish nature by ordering himself a bourbon on the rocks._

_When the woman went to use the disgusting washroom, the man calmly put his drink down and then turned to face her. She hastily glanced away, mopping like her life depended on it; and perhaps it did._

_He came over to stand before her and she readied herself for a fight. Surprisingly, it had been awhile._

_"Tell me, sweetheart, what's a pretty girl like yourself doing in a place like this?"_

_Clarke knew why_ _ they _ _were there. Few places were open this late._

_She tried not to roll her eyes at the overt flattery and flirting. "We all have to make a living somehow," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes._

_He smiled back and took a step closer, she could smell the booze on his breath now, even above all the other lovely scents wafting around._

_"True enough. But tell me, sweetheart, why are you scouting me and my sis out?"_

_"I'm not," she assured him, without flinching._

_"There's something funny about you, and I can't quite put my finger on it."_

_The attractive fae began sniffing all around her, like a dog, and under other circumstances she would have taken offense, but as it was, she froze, terrified that he would learn her secret._

_The sister came back, and exasperatedly said, "Bell, not again! Leave the poor girl alone! No one else is trying to kill me!"_

_He growled and gruffly said, "I'll be the judge of that, O. You never know where the next psycho admirer will pop up. And there's something fishy about this one, but I can't tell what."_

_Octavia came over to investigate too. She gave Clarke a wink and said, "Oh yes, I see what you mean, Bell," and then yanked him bodily by the ear and away from her._

_Back at the bar, Bellamy grumpily ordered another drink._

_Eventually Octavia took note of the photographs pinned up behind the counter and began to enthusiastically admire those while she sipped away at her own martini._

_She wasn't sure what was wrong with her that night but she found herself walking over and saying, "I'm flattered that you think so highly of my artwork."_

_Clarke could practically see the hackles raising on wolf boy._

_"_ _ You _ _took those?" said Octavia, looking like a deer caught in headlights. She nodded. Octavia hopped off the stool, grinning, and linked their arms together like they were old chums. "What do you say to getting out of this place, dear?"_

_Clarke raised an eyebrow. Was she being propositioned for sex? Because it had been awhile, and she wasn't about to turn down the most gorgeous woman she had ever laid eyes on before._

_Apparently her mind (and body) was in the gutter._

_"It just so happens that I am in desperate need of a new photographer!"_

_"_ _ Octavia _ _," growled Bellamy in warning._

_"Well, I-"_

_"Oh, it will be simply marvelous!" Octavia raised an outstretched hand. "Picture this," she said with a chuckle at her own wit, "enchanting dinners in Italy, glorious sunsets in Barcelona, shopping adventures throughout the colonies, far flung romances the world over! The most famous fae you've-"_

_"OCTAVIA!" snapped Bellamy, whirling on them._

_The Fairy-Nymph frowned at his tone and then looked at Clarke sadly. "Oh, yes, I forgot. You're not one of us."_

_"We're leaving!" announced Bellamy, grabbing his sister by the arm and escorting her out._

_Clarke was oddly disappointed. On the one hand she couldn't have accepted the offer because it would have put her in contact with her people again. On the other hand, she didn't think she could handle being stuck much longer in this dreary, hellish routine. The only saving graces had been long walks in the open, unpolluted air, and her artwork._

_No matter what she had done – and she still wasn't sure the extent of her crimes – didn't she deserve more out of life than_ _ just _ _surviving?_

_She sighed a sigh to end all sighs and went back to pushing the grime around the floor._

_A short while later Octavia came barging back in, Bellamy hot on her heels._

_"No, O! Don't!"_

_"I, Octavia Blake, hereby claim you!" she exclaimed to the utter bewilderment of the barkeep, her boss, and the owner of this 'establishment'._

_Frustrated with his willful sister, Bellamy punched a hole in the wall._

_"'Scuse me, miss," he haughtily said, "but this dolls mine. And don't think you ain't paying for that bub!"_

_As her boss reached for a shotgun, Bellamy snarled, eyes going completely black, and the man dropped it and ran for his life, screaming bloody murder._

_"Well, if she didn't know about us_ _ before _ _, Bell," said Octavia with a merry laugh, "she certainly does_ _ now _ _!"_

_Bellamy growled and punched another hole._

* * *

_Profusely sweating, she jolted upright, like she had frequently done since that terrible night. Raven, who she had just spent the night with for the first time, was observing her in obvious worry, running a soothing hand up and down her back._

_"It's fine," she said absentmindedly as the nightmare receded from her minds eye. She ran a hand through her drenched, sex mussed hair. "I'm fine."_

_"Does this happen often?"_

_"Yes," she admitted reluctantly, "but I'm used to it by now."_

_Raven bit her lip, clearly trying to stop herself from once again bringing up the past, knowing Clarke didn't want to talk about it._

_"We should really talk about that night."_

_Clarke turned away, lying on her side, facing away._

_"You can't avoid it forever, Clarke."_

_"Yes, I can," she replied stubbornly, cursing herself for staying the night after their love making...but she hadn't been able to come up with a reasonable excuse for why she couldn't._

_Raven sighed and Clarke hoped that was the end of it. She was proven wrong._

_"When you disappeared I...well, I've said my peace about that."_

_Yes, you have, she thought, more than once and really loudly._

_"It wasn't your fault, Clarke. What happened to your dad...to the village...that was a terrible accident. You can't blame yourself for it any longer."_

_Somewhat confused, her interest was nonetheless peaked. She rolled over to face her naked girlfriend. "Accident?" she reiterated, stunned. "It wasn't my fault?"_

_Raven smiled gently, cupping her face. "No, of course not." Raven kissed the corner of her mouth. "You didn't make that plane crash into the stables." She kissed her nose. "You didn't set the village on fire." She kissed her forehead. "And you didn't kill those three hundred humans in the ensuing blaze."_

_Her eyes widened in shock. Three hundred dead? So many?_

_Instinctively she knew something was wrong with this story. If this were true, why had she blocked out the memory? Why did she have recurring nightmares about ripping people apart?_

_"Clarke?" Raven said with a frown, looking at her intently._

_She forced herself to smile. "You're right, Raven. I need to stop blaming myself. I need to put it behind me."_

_Raven didn't look entirely convinced by what Clarke was sure was an odd tone of voice, so Clarke pulled her close and made her forget how to think coherently, all the while plotting her next move. There was only one person who had had the means and inclination to cover up the truth back then._

_The Acting Ash...her mother._

* * *

_It had been ninety-seven years since she had last seen Abby, and the woman had only physically aged about five human years. In all honesty, besides a shorter hairstyle and sleeker threads, Clarke couldn't tell the difference. And that really wasn't the point of this long overdue reunion. She was here for the cold hard truth, whatever that may be, however damaging to her already fractured psyche._

_Abby had been surprised into tears when she had unceremoniously showed up at her doorstep, back in her home colony. Her mother now lived in a nice condo overlooking the much larger, diverse city, both fae and human alike. Being the primary fae health provider had its benefits._

_Her mother couldn't stop touching her face, as if verifying she was indeed real. Clarke felt bad about leaving her alone for so long. But she had thought it for the best. And any time she thought of reaching out, she had stopped herself, feeling all the anxiety of making a call you could've made ages ago. And the more you put it off, the more stressful and impossible it seemed, but of course, it was simply built up in your head. A mountain out of a molehill, as it were._

_She sat them down beside each other on the couch, holding her hand. "Mom, I need you to tell me what_ _ really _ _happened that night."_

_Abby raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" It wasn't evasive, more confused. There seemed to be a lot of that going around lately._

_"The night that dad..." her voice caught and she fought the strong urge to breakdown and cry in her mothers arms, something she hadn't done since she was a teenager and some of the fae children were being cruel to her because they were jealous of her position in life._

_Her mother likewise looked on the verge of tears again. She squeezed their clasped hands. "That wasn't your fault, Clarke. I never blamed you for his death. It was a freak accident. Wrong place, wrong time."_

_"I know, but_ _ after _ _...after he...died...what_ _ happened _ _?"_

_"You don't remember anything?" Abby said frowning._

_"Well, I have bad dreams," she admitted. "But that's it. It's completely blank." It was Clarke's turn to frown. "I thought maybe you had done something to me."_

_"Me?" said Abby, with another eyebrow raise. "Why would I erase my own daughters memory?"_

_"To protect me from the truth. Of what I did."_

_Abby's brow furrowed further. "No, if you can't consciously access the memory, it's because you blocked it out yourself. You wouldn't have nightmares otherwise." She placed her hand to Clarke's face again. "But you already knew how to check for mind tampering. Did you find a Recuerdo Coil?"_

_Clarke shook her head._

_"Do you want me to double check?"_

_More like quadruple check, she thought._

_She nodded, and one by one her mother pulled down the skin beneath her eyes, staring intently for a few seconds. "You're clean."_

_She felt like she knew the answer already but asked anyway._

_"So," she said nervously, "did I really do every terrible thing I see in my dreams? Did I really kill three hundred humans?"_

_She was holding out hope that this was all some sort of misunderstanding, some epic farce, and she wasn't truly a monster._

_Her mother sighed deeply. "Yes, Clarke, you killed them all."_

* * *

Her ruminations were interrupted when there were loud footsteps rapidly descending the spiraling stone staircase that led to the dungeons. The plate blocking her view was wrenched aside. Furious, pained eyes stared back at her.

"Clarke, what the hell is going on?! Why has that succubitch locked you up?! She told me I should ask you, so here I am!"

"You were wrong about me, Raven," she said quietly, "it _was_ my fault. The plane didn't wipe out that village. It was me. I killed all those humans. My mother covered it up with a fire."

Raven took a step back as she processed this revelation. "You're exhausted. You don't know what you're talking about," she said, seemingly more to comfort herself than Clarke. "You couldn't have. You're not a monster."

Clarke laughed humourlessly and took a page from Lexa's book, turning off her emotions. "I'm a griffin, Raven. A legendary beast. And that night, in my grief, I let the beast consume me, and I slaughtered every last one of them. Just because I could. I _am_ a monster."

Raven flinched at her cold tone. "Don't say that! You're not! You _can't_ be!"

"Why not, Raven? Because you don't _want_ me to be? I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. I did it. I'm guilty. And I'm going to say as much during the trial. It's high time I paid for my sins."

"Fuck you, Clarke!" yelled Raven, visibly shaking. "You lied to me this whole time! Started a romantic relationship! Let me fall...fuck you, Clarke!" she repeated before hightailing it out of there.

Once she was sure she was gone, Clarke collapsed to the freezing floor and cried herself into an uneasy sleep, hoping to feel as numb all around as her arms now did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst, angst, angst. If you've ever read one of my stories, you must've known this was coming.
> 
> Octavia might be a ditz in this fic but I'm pretty fond of this incarnation.
> 
> Seems like Team Earth and Fire are in peril...


	5. The Trial

The trial was conducted in the high council chambers, on the top floor of the mansion, a place she was generally prohibited from as a child, same as the dungeons. That isn't to say she never checked those places out. Unlike the main floor, the upper level was much as it had always been. The long table in the centre of the room. The plain chandelier. The immaculately kept fireplace. The somewhat disturbing paintings from unknown fae artists from centuries past. Depictions of torture were not exactly lifting her already dampened spirits.

Clarke stood in chains before the twelve light fae elders, some of which seemed vaguely familiar and even faintly smiled at her. Then there was Lexa, who sat at the far end of the table, directly across from Clarke. She looked on impassively, seemingly barely paying attention to the proceedings. Except for her mother, all outsiders were barred from participating. Clarke thought it was better this way than being on display in a public court. It only would have made it that much harder to admit her guilt.

A fat fae elder wearing a ridiculous plumed hat looked to her and said, "Arabella Clarke Ramsey, of the Noble House of Griffin, you are accused of murdering three hundred humans and a fae family by the name of Blackwoods on May 14th, 1915. What say you to such egregious charges?"

She was taken aback by the additional charge. Clarke glanced at her mother, and the same couldn't be said for her.

_Dammit, mom, I told you to tell me everything_!

With a silent sigh she bolstered herself. "I plead guilty to all charges."

Unlike human movies she had seen, there was no hushed whispering at her admission. Clearly no one had expected her to state otherwise.

Her mom however didn't stay silent. "Before you pass judgement on my daughter, I would like to remind the council that Clarke had just lost her father, your faithful and just leader of sixty-four years, and she wasn't in her right mind when she committed these atrocities. She should be no more at fault for her crimes than the Elemental Nymph who very recently tossed this city on its head, a city my daughter helped right, at great potential harm to herself. If the Elemental wasn't put on trial, neither should have Clarke."

No one seemed to be particularly moved so Abby forged on ahead. "Have none of you ever heard of the pull of the beast? It's said to be so intoxicating during those first few weeks of shifting, that the shifter struggles to remember who they are, and the desire to shift back is almost non-existent. Without someone to guide her back to herself, you can hardly blame her for doing what she did after witnessing her father's gruesome death."

A hard woman flashed a big fake fanged smile and sarcastically said, "Thank you, Abby, for reminding the council of something every child knows." The terrible smiled remained. "As to your other concern, it is duly noted."

Abby narrowed her eyes. "Then why was she not charged for destroying the city, killing dozens of people, some of which were fae?"

Someone else answered, this time a smarmy looking guy that reminded her of Finn. She really hoped they didn't have any Satyr's on the light fae council. Being part nymph herself, she didn't think Lexa would be able to stand their presence for long, but then again, she didn't really know Lexa at all, did she?

"It's a bit hard to imprison someone not of this physical plane." He twirled his mustache. "We decided long ago that Elementals should be given...what's the quaint human phrase?...ah yes, diplomatic immunity." He smiled pleasantly at her. "As the former Acting Ash, I should have thought you would know this. But perhaps you were too busy covering up your daughters indiscretions to learn your role properly?"

Abby bristled at the blatant accusation. "I'm not on trial here."

"No, but perhaps you _should_ be," said the hard faced lady again, with a glint in her eye that said it would make her century if she was. "Corruption and abuse of power are just some of the charges that could be laid at your feet, if one were so inclined."

"Em pleni!" called Lexa from the far side of the room, drawing Clarke's attention. Lexa finally looked her in the eye for the first time since the 'trial' began. Whatever shared feelings that once were present, no longer were. These eyes were hard and lacking in any semblance of love. Clarke's stomach dropped again, and not in the pleasant way. "Do you have anything to add in your defense?"

Clarke looked around the room, wondering what she could possibly say to make them not execute her or throw her in jail until kingdom come. Then she remembered that was besides the point. She was a menace to society, a dangerous time bomb just waiting to go off again. How many more would she kill the next time the beast took hold? Would she destroy cities like the Elemental? Would she become death incarnate?

One of the fae who had smiled kindly at her before said, "Do you regret your actions, child?"

Caught off guard by such a strange question, she ultimately answered in her defense.

"Of course I do," she replied. "I regretted them so much that I never shifted again...until yesterday that is."

Even stranger was the buzzing that this proclamation produced. Some flat out calling her a liar.

Lexa called for more silence. "I have heard enough. The council will now deliberate on all that has been said on this day."

Indra, who had been standing silently behind her, now took her arm and escorted her out of the room, her mother soon following, looking equally stunned as everyone else.

"Is that true, Clarke? You never shifted, not once in a hundred years?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because Clarke, denying your true self for so long is almost unheard of."

_I denied myself far more than that_ , she thought gloomily. _Not shifting was a cake walk in comparison._

* * *

A couple of hours later Raven came to visit her in the dungeons, Indra standing by lest the fire nymph attempt anything rash.

Clarke didn't know what to say to her so she waited for Raven to speak first. Apparently Raven was doing the same thing, so they awkwardly looked (or rather didn't) at each other through the slit in the isolation cell.

Indra lost her patience. "If you are not going to speak, then let us leave."

That seemed to snap them out of it and they both tried to talk at once. Clarke suggested Raven go first. There was no apology and Clarke hadn't expected or deserved one. It was straight to business.

"You promised to explain before, so explain. What is Lexa to you, Clarke?"

It was hard to say who was more uncomfortable with this line of questioning. At least Indra had the luxury of leaving at any moment should she so choose. Clarke was stuck in place, an unpleasantly familiar sensation from a large part of her existence.

"We were together for a couple of weeks in the fifties. I wouldn't exactly call it a relationship though." She blushed faintly, glancing downwards. "We didn't exactly spend a lot of time...talking."

Raven glared at her, a frequent occurrence now. "I didn't ask what she _used_ to be to you, Clarke. I kind of figured you two were fuck buddies. I asked what she _is_ to you. Right _now_."

She swallowed through the guilt of her recent indiscretion. "I don't know," she answered somewhat truthfully. "She locked me up, Raven, for who knows how long. What _could_ there be?"

"You still like her though," Raven accused accurately, completely ignoring the implications of Clarke's impending sentencing on their own relationship. "I can tell."

"I do," she eventually said, unable to lie to Raven anymore, even if it would hurt her.

Raven clenched her jaw before saying, "Is it _more_ than that?"

Clarke bit her lip. _I hardly know the woman, Raven_. What she said very quietly was, "Maybe."

"What does this mean for us?" Raven said with a prolonged sigh. "Are we done?"

"Do you want to be?" she countered, trying not to let her own hurt show.

"If you're conflicted about your feelings for her, then we probably should call it quits. Not that it really matters, not that I really have a say," she continued bitterly, gesturing to the cell. "Even if you _aren't_ executed, I'll never get to see you again anyway." Raven shook her head in despair and disbelief and spoke with such sadness that Clarke felt her tough demeanour quickly cracking. "And I'm not even sure I _want_ to. You killed all those people, Clarke, and while logically I know you weren't yourself at the time...I just can't seem to reconcile who I thought you were with what you have buried inside you."

Clarke licked her lips, willing herself to keep it together, willing Raven to understand. "We all have the capacity for evil, Raven. You know I've often thought this Light and Dark Fae divide was bullshit. There are no good guys. There's just people. Imperfect people. And people make mistakes. I mean, even you screwed up once upon a time." _That I know of_.

Incredulously, "Are you _seriously_ comparing me burning that dick Murphy to you _murdering_ three hundred people?!"

"No, but-"

"I only did that because he was being an asshole to _you_! Jesus, I just can't..." she steadied herself with some effort, "I don't know how to be around you right now."

And without another word she took off again, Indra only so glad for an end to the 'teen' drama.

* * *

She was brought back before Lexa and the council soon after. She was not to be executed, but she was sentenced to fifty years in relative isolation. And during those fifty years she would need to learn to master her griffin. If she couldn't accomplish this within the set time frame, she would be given another fifty years, and so on and so on. She had a feeling they were hesitant to kill her because there were so few griffins left in the world, and the ones that still lived would not take very kindly to her death. Or so she figured, she had never actually met another griffin besides her father.

The sentencing wasn't nearly as terrible as she had been expecting, but it was still a blow to her composure. She didn't do well with enclosed spaces, never had. Griffins were the king of the beasts, and were meant to reign over the earth and sky. It was going to be a very trying fifty years.

Having just got her back, her mother was similarly upset, and took it out on the hard faced elder fae before Clarke was escorted out by telling her that her husband had been treated for a rather nasty strain of a fae STD and that she should get herself checked out too, that is, assuming they had even slept together in the past century.

At this, Clarke had expected a cat fight to break out, but Lexa had quickly put a stop to it, as well as dismissing the council.

"I'll visit you everyday, baby," her mom promised before kissing her on the forehead.

Clarke didn't think that likely, or possible, but she just nodded and said, "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Clarke," she called, voice breaking, as her daughter was led away.

Octavia ran up to her and hugged her tightly, eliciting a snarl from Indra, and a responding growl from Bellamy. He nodded at Clarke. They may have never liked each other that much during their 22 year acquaintance, but they had come to respect one another. She knew he was no saint himself when it came to losing control of the beast. But his indiscretions had been much better hidden and not nearly as prodigious as her own.

"This isn't fair!" sobbed Octavia into her ear. Clarke would've patted her on the back if her hands hadn't been securely chained. Instead she just awkwardly let herself be manhandled by the overly dramatic, though in this case justly so, Fairy-Nymph. "I feel sick to my stomach! We didn't get to go on our shopping spree, and I just _know_ they're going to make you wear the most _hideous_ outfits!"

* * *

A week passed where nothing happened except the door of her tiny cell being opened for meals. No one came to visit, or if they had, they were not granted access. Clarke was too dejected to go stir crazy.

The next day was different. Indra secured the unpleasant numbing box to her hands and then took her out of the cell, and downwards to the next level of incarceration where the worst offenders were kept until their executions. They passed through a series of magical gates and then continued downwards again. Clarke was puzzled. She had never known there was more to this place.

The narrow, dirt cut stairs ended and she now stood in a dirt and rock cathedral like ceilinged room that was expertly hollowed out of the earth and spanned about a football field. Dim lights were strung up all around, but with her enhanced sight, it was plenty bright. Though they were beneath the ground, this was the most space she had had in a week and the excitement sent a momentary rush of adrenaline through her. She took a deep breath, ignored her own stench and instead savoured the fresh earthy smell, and a hint of something sweet. She looked around to find tiny blue flowers sprouting here and there from the dirt walls.

In a little alcove resided a single sized bed and a dresser that she would later discover was full of her own clothing. In another alcove was a toilet, sink and shower, pipes not visible but clearly present as everything would function normally. A third alcove held a collection of books, some ancient, some more modern. A comfortable looking chair was also present there.

And at the far side of the field with her hands clasped in front...stood The Ash.

She was dressed the only way she apparently knew how to dress these days. All in black. The only difference this time was no unnerving face paint. Which didn't really matter because her gaze was plenty unnerving without adornment.

"Leave us," she called across the dirt field.

"But, heda-"

"Go, Indra."

When they were alone, Clarke felt intensely awkward. Had Lexa herself made this new living space? But why would she go to so much trouble?

She didn't have too long to contemplate this as Lexa started to approach, and considering the distance, she figured she could meet her half way, so she did, all the while wondering why she was being so obliging. Before anything was said, Lexa went behind her and took off the magic box. Instantly sensation flooded her fingertips and she reveled in the pain of it.

Facing Clarke again she said, "These will be your new living quarters for the foreseeable future."

Clarke just nodded. Did Lexa want her to thank her, or what?

"You now have the space to begin learning how to master your griffin."

Well that explained the new digs. Necessity. A week of no contact had apparently dulled her mind considerably.

"Okay..." she said eventually, once her brain kicked into higher gear. "That sounded good in theory, but I thought the whole pull of the beast thing kind of made it difficult to _want_ to change back? I know it's been a hundred years, but it's like I just learned to shift all over again. Seems like a bad idea to tempt fate."

"You didn't kill the Elemental. And you succeeded in reverting back to your human form twice on the night our paths crossed again. Clearly you have some level of control."

There was a glint of something in her eye as she said it. Clarke refused to think about what she had done after the first reversion.

"That was different," she said in reference to the second time. "I was too tired to want to stay in that form. So how am I supposed to do this on my own when I'm _not_?"

"I will be assisting you," Lexa said simply.

Clarke raised an eyebrow. "You? No offense but what do _you_ know about shifting? And how are you going to handle me at my worst? I could easily rip you-"

Lexa reached out and touched Clarke's hand, and Clarke immediately felt like she had been strongly dosed with E. It was the same sensation Lexa had used on her shortly after they first met in Paris. Even after Lexa had removed her hand she was still riding the high, and had a pretty strong urge to wrap herself around Lexa and kiss the crap out of her.

_No fair!_

Blinking away her dazed expression, she tried to glare at Lexa but only succeeded in smiling at her.

"And how do you know that'll even work on me in griffin form? I'm even stronger then."

"There's only one way to find out, Clarke," Lexa said pleasantly, which only made Clarke smile harder.

_Dammit_!

She didn't think it would be a good idea to be touched by Lexa again so soon after the last time so she deigned the offer for the day and Lexa left with the hint of a smirk, knowing full well she was now putting Clarke through an entirely different sort of hell. Her standing with Raven was shaky enough as it was, if Raven ever caught wind that she was letting Lexa touch her on a regular basis...well, that would well and truly be the end of them.

But if Clarke didn't learn to master her griffin, she would never be allowed to leave this place and actually _see_ Raven again.

She decided she would request someone else to help train her, someone who actually knew what it felt like to shift and could clearly explain the considerably more elusive process of de-shifting to her so that she could consciously do this in times of calm, and when she _wasn't_ exhausted beyond measure.

She only hoped Lexa would grant her wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we've now reached the end of the material I had pre-written. It might be awhile before the next update. Or it could be very soon. It all depends. So I've left it at a non cliffhanger so people can't complain about that aspect anyway.
> 
> Ramsey is an old Scottish surname...which sounds like Rameses...which was derived from the god of RA who was depicted as a man with the head of a falcon (eagle, same dif right?)...so what if this dude bred with someone from the lion side...and you got a griffin...
> 
> I also like this name cuz it's similar to Raven's last name.


	6. Mastering the Griffin

A few days later Lexa made her next appearance. Clarke had spent that time exploring her new digs, acquainting herself with every nook and cranny (on the ground level anyway). She had not been trying to escape. She was done with running and aliases and all the mess that entailed. In some ways it was a relief to finally have everything come out into the open. Her nightmares were still present, but they had already lessened somewhat, and she hoped maybe one day they would completely stop plaguing her altogether. She couldn't bring back the dead, no fae could (as far as she knew), and she would forever feel guilty about what she had accidentally done, but did that mean that she should suffer in her non-waking hours too for all eternity?

Skipping all pleasantries, Lexa said, "Shall we get started?"

Clarke continued to sit in the reading area, though she was gracious enough to put down the rather large and dry tome, the thud on the table rebounding dully for a few seconds.

"Yeah, about that...I was wondering if maybe I could ask you something."

Lexa continued to stand in place, unconcernedly, like she always appeared. Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword. "I will be assisting you. No one else."

Somewhat baffled by her astuteness, though not entirely surprised, Clarke responded, "Don't you think an actual shifter would make more sense? Take Bellamy for-"

"Mr. Blake is currently in Hawaii fulfilling his perceived duties towards his sister. After that they will be traveling to a fashion show in Greece. Even if he was not otherwise engaged, he has already expressed no interest in training you."

That stung a little considering they had been friendly enough over the years. Though she supposed he hadn't been quite so forgiving of her abrupt departure as Octavia had.

Conversing at this distance was ridiculous, so she stood up and moved closer. "Okay, but what about-"

"I have contacted several other shifters and they have all expressed the same lack of interest." Lexa looked at her, not unkindly, but not exactly friendly either. "I'm afraid you're infamous now. No one wants anything to do with you."

Only a few feet away now, Clarke wasn't sure what prompted her to say it but she did, heart picking up its pace for the first time in days. She held Lexa's gaze. "But _you_ do. Why?"

Still in that maddeningly calm way she said, "It is my duty to help fulfill the terms of your sentencing."

Clarke wasn't buying it. At least not completely.

"And you couldn't have, I don't know... _commanded_ a shifter to train me? You chose to take up the mantle instead, even though I'm sure you're very busy. Why?"

"Because I can control you, Clarke."

"And if you can't?" _I don't want to hurt you_. "You're The Ash. If I killed you... _like I killed my father_...I'd be executed for sure. Or at the very least, Indra wouldn't hesitate to fry my mind."

"That won't happen."

"Which part," she retorted with a slight edge, "you dying or me going insane?"

Lexa smirked ever so slightly and for such a brief instance in time that Clarke almost missed it. "You are right about one thing, Clarke. I _am_ very busy. So we should probably get started."

It was like talking to a brick wall. No matter what she said she couldn't break through to something even resembling feeling and emotion. In more ways than one, Lexa was fixed in space and time like a statue that was impervious to weather or wear. Fitting for someone over a thousand years old.

"Fine," she said with a sigh, in mock surrender. "I'll train with you, but _you_ have to wear the necklace. And I also want to see my mother once a week... _outside_ in the sunlight. Also, I could go for some pizza and beer, I'm feeling pretty parched." She tapped her on the shoulder. "We could have a little party, you, me and Indra. I'm sure it'd be a blast."

Finally there was a twitch of annoyance in the too young face. "No."

"Which part," Clarke said lightly, "the pizza party or-"

Lexa clenched her jaw, as well as her fist around the pommel. "I will come back when you have decided to stop acting like a child. I had thought you were ready to get your life back on track, but it appears I was mistaken."

"Get my life back on track?" she parroted incredulously. She stepped closer, invading Lexa's personal space. For a second her senses were muddled by the proximity to such beauty and grace but her anger quickly pushed any desires down into a deep dark pit, not unlike her current residence. "I _had_ my life back until _you_ messed it all up! I was finally happy again! Painting and creating and loving my best friend! Now, just like everyone else apparently, she wants nothing to do with me!"

"You were living yet another iteration of your false life," Lexa said, seemingly unperturbed, though there had been a flicker of downward eyes. "It couldn't have lasted."

"Fuck you! You're-"

"But more to the point," Lexa continued over her, "it was only a matter of time before a member of The Blackwoods tracked you down. They are not a very forgiving family and their vengeance knows no bounds."

"And how would _you_ know?" she sneered, practically nose to nose.

Unflinchingly, "They are notorious among the Dark fae, something you would undoubtedly have learned first hand if you had not hid your faeness and fled. Your self imposed exile saved your life. It was unwise to remove your celator* and immerse yourself back in faedom."

"Fuck you!" she exclaimed just as cleverly as the last time. "I wanted to be with Raven! Openly! Among my own people! And if what you say is true, how come my mom never warned me about these supposedly terrible Blackwoods three years ago?!"

"She wanted you to be happy and not worried about assassination."

For the second time since their reunion, Lexa hesitated, and this time Clarke pounced.

"What else?!" she demanded, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Tell me the _real_ reason!"

Lexa's eyes darted downwards again and then she licked her lips. So intent on her answer, Clarke barely registered this. "Your mother didn't warn you because you were under my protection."

"What?!" she exclaimed, gaining space between them.

"In exchange for her medical expertise," Lexa continued, as if she were discussing the weather, "I gave her my word that I would keep you safe. The Blackwoods were closing in on your location. Even if the Elemental hadn't gone on a rampage when she did, I still would have been forced to make contact and arrest you."

Not unlike when Lexa first appeared, Clarke's head was spinning. How was she supposed to process this revelation? Lexa was making it very hard to hate her, and that was all Clarke had left. How dare she take that away from her.

"So you're keeping me locked up to _protect_ me, is that it?!"

Lexa nodded. "The Blackwoods are demanding your head in retribution. But they are Dark fae and have no claim to you. However, they may attempt to break into our headquarters in order to accomplish this end."

"Would they really do something so reckless? Aren't Light and Dark relations strained as it is?"

"It is uncertain just how much The Blackwoods are willing to risk. Though indeed, starting a war seems a tad unlikely."

"They'd start a war over me?" she said in disbelief.

Another inscrutable look later, "Regardless of what they attempt, it would be wise to keep your necklace on at all times. Learning to master your griffin as soon as possible also couldn't hurt."

"Why this whole charade with the trial?" she wondered aloud, absentmindedly fiddling with the necklace in question. "Why not just tell me what was really going on?"

"It wasn't a charade, Clarke. Your sentencing still stands. If I released you without real punishment, I would be seen as weak, and the council would request my abdication. As I believe you correctly surmised, a hundred years ago they would have been satisfied with nothing less than your death." Lexa looked at her sincerely with a hint of emotion peeking through and once again Clarke's vanity took root and told her it meant something. "Thankfully, times have changed and capital punishment is very rarely granted among the Light fae courts."

Suddenly very weary, Clarke plopped down into the dirt. It was hard to believe that one moment of time in the distant past could still be effecting her life, or lack thereof, so completely. Going down the 'if only' road never led anywhere good. Instead she looked up at Lexa, features hardened and more assure of themselves than she actually felt, and said, "Let's get started."

Lexa dipped her head, then checked her bronze pocket watch, an odd and worn looking thing that had clearly seen better days. Stark contrast to the snazzy performance car she had blazed through the deteriorating town in. Clarke wondered if it held sentimental significance.

"Okay, Clarke, I have approximately half an hour now before I must speak with a delegation from Turkey. We'll keep it simple for today. Start with the basics."

The Ash removed the belt securing her sword in place and then sat down across from her, crossing her legs, resting her hands in her lap. She gestured for Clarke to do the same and then closed her eyes.

"We're going to begin with breathing exercises."

Clarke was about to protest. After all, she was an air nymph, surely she knew how to utilize her breath better than most others?

As if reading her thoughts, "If you can control your breath, you can control your emotion and make your mind go blank. From everything I've heard and read, this is the key to conscious reversion."

Thinking about it in that light, it made sense to Clarke too, and may in fact have been some of the advice her own father had given her a hundred years – she couldn't really recall. If she had to intensely concentrate to find that sweet spot that triggered the chain reaction into beast form, it followed that the reverse would be true for human form.

Unfortunately, due to Lexa's close proximity, this was easier said than done. Clarke now had a chance to unabashedly study her soft, alluring features in a way she hadn't had since the fifties. Her face was still immaculate. The artist in her itched to put pencil to paper as her gaze roamed over the high wrinkle free forehead, the angled and exquisite cheekbone structure, the dainty nose, and the full bodied, slightly parted, and all around very kissable lips. This of course activated hindsight of Lexa's eye slips towards her own lips...and further down on a previous occasion.

All of a sudden Clarke became very aware of the slight heat waves emanating off of Lexa, and Clarke's traitorous mind landed on rather explicit ground when they were considerably less clothed and felt the full force of them. She hadn't gotten off since the day before Lexa came back into her life. And up until that moment, she hadn't felt the need to take matters into her own hands. Rather than slow her breath, she was accomplishing the exact opposite.

She was startled out of her titillating thoughts. "Stop thinking, Clarke. Close your eyes, focus on not focusing at all, and the rest will hopefully follow."

Unsure how Lexa could possibly have known, Clarke nonetheless closed her eyes and attempted to follow her less than illuminating advice. As expected, she wasn't very successful and began twitching in irritation. This went on for some minutes.

"You must be patient, Clarke. Calm your body, calm your mind."

Another spot of time passed and all she could focus on was the way Lexa's mouth had felt as it-

The light pressure from a hand on her knee jolted her eyes open. Lexa studied her, looking vaguely amused, as if she knew what had been troubling her. Later Clarke would remember that she HAD known precisely what was wrong. Succubi could literally see and feel sexual energy emanating off of a person.

"I have to go now, but by all means, please continue to attempt to reach a state of zen." This time Lexa let the smirk show. "And if you cannot, I can always knock you out. I believe lack of consciousness will achieve the same goal."

"I'd like to see you try," she muttered sourly to herself as Lexa vacated the premises.

* * *

Owing to Lexa's frequent absences caused by her duties as Ash, and Lexa's refusal to allow anyone else to train her - though really, besides Indra, there _wasn't_ anyone - it was nearly a month later before Clarke got the hang of calming her mind, and another few months before she could slip in and out of a zen state with relative ease. Not having a lot to do down here besides read, she found herself spending more and more time in meditation, with only meal times to remind her of the passage of time.

They then moved onto the next phase, which was apparently hurling (figurative) shit around (and sometimes _at_ ) her while she attempted to achieve the same zen state. Needless to say, that didn't go over very well, and Clarke was so startled the first time that she knocked Lexa over with a particularly strong gust of wind. Or at least, she partially managed to as Lexa simply dug her boots solidly into the ground and more or less kept to her feet.

No matter how hard or long Clarke practiced in this alarming state, she couldn't get the hang of it. Finally Lexa conceded defeat, and they skipped to the final stage of training: moving fluidly in and out of her griffin state. Clarke had been anxious about this moment ever since Lexa had informed her that she would be her trainer. They hadn't spent a lot of time chatting and getting to know one another better, but even so, they had found an easy sort of rhythm these past eight months, and Clarke felt comfortable around her and not like she wanted to jump her bones every few seconds. Her existence was pleasant, if not very interesting.

In all this time she had only seen her mother a handful of times, and Raven none. This depressed her a great deal which was yet another reason why she spent so much time in meditation these days. The good news was that The Blackwoods had yet to make a move - or at least, Lexa had kept it from her if they had - and Clarke was beginning to believe they never would.

Lexa was a gentlewoman while Clarke stripped, completely turning around to avoid the temptation to peek, assuming there was any. Bare, save for her constant companion and reminder around her throat, she shifted, somewhat unnerved by how easy and natural it felt already.

Covered in silky feathers and fur, she cawed to indicate this to Lexa, and The Ash faced her with another look of awe, albeit markedly less apparent than the last time.

Her whole body was vibrating with intoxicating strength and an overwhelming urge to take flight. She had yet to explore the upper reaches of this dirt and rock cathedral, so she spread her wings and soared, feeling almost drunk on a high that had been considerably lacking. Higher and higher she went until she reached the upper limits of her prison cell. The air was fresher up here and she wondered just how much earth separated herself from the outside world. Drifting around effortlessly through the clouds was something she very much looked forward to doing again someday. The world would probably be considerably more polluted by then, so she would simply have to fly above the worst of the urban smog. It was something to look forward to anyway.

The peaceful expression across Lexa's face mirrored her own, or would have, if eagles had expressions beyond that of predatory. Clarke could have and would have stayed up there all day, but her trainer was having none of it. Eventually Lexa called her down and Clarke almost didn't want to listen. She wasn't a Mole after all, she didn't have to follow commands at will. She was the queen of the beasts and should be treated accordingly, with respect. The Ash should be the one bowing down to her, not the other way around. Let her take on these Blackwoods right now. They would never know what hit them.

"Today, Clarke!" called Lexa, voice magnifying on its way up. "I have other business I must attend to!"

The unfamiliar rage nearly consumed her before she managed to quash it with a breathing exercise. Proud of herself for averting disaster, she alighted gracefully mere feet before Lexa, who hadn't shifted an inch upon her fairly rapid approach.

"You know what to do," Lexa informed her when Clarke just stared at her for some time.

Now came the moment of truth. Finding zen was considerably harder in this thriving, pulsing form that wanted to explore the whole world. Just like phase two, she failed. She couldn't calm her body and mind to the necessary extent. Frustrated, she pawed at the ground, nearly ripping through Lexa's boots.

Recognizing her hardship, Lexa placed a hand to the side of her feathered face and sent a delightful feeling of bliss spreading throughout. To her embarrassment, she nuzzled Lexa's hand like a horse would, which brought a faint smile to Lexa's lips. Seeing Lexa happy only intensified her current joy and she was so swept up in the feeling that she forgot to think about anything in particular and instantly managed to revert.

"Well done, Clarke," Lexa said quietly, hand still on her cheek. This she attempted to remove, only to have Clarke slap her own hand over top, keeping it in place. They stared at one another in a way that they hadn't done in ages, Lexa's intent gaze making Clarke forget how to breathe. She wanted to drown in those green, inscrutable depths, wanted to stay there always.

"I'm sure you'll succeed on your own soon e-"

Like lightning Clarke grabbed Lexa's coat collar and smashed their lips together. Stunned, Lexa didn't respond at first, but then draped an arm around Clarke's back and pulled her naked body flush against hers, fingers digging into her side. Clarke threw her arms around Lexa's neck, deepening their kiss. Clarke moaned and Lexa pulled back slightly, sucking out a considerable chunk of chi. Feeling even more lightheaded and enraptured now, she started mindlessly tugging at Lexa's well secured jacket while she attacked her lips and neck like an animal. The power of the beast seemed to be reigniting in human form, and if this assault had been allowed to continue, it surely would have resulted in one of them getting hurt, or at the very least, bruised.

"Clarke," groaned Lexa as Clarke gave up trying to remove Lexa's clothes and instead stuck her hand down her pants.

Before Clarke could do more than appreciate how wet Lexa was, The Ash grabbed her wrist and extricated her hand, leaving Clarke dazed and confused, and a little hurt.

"I influenced your desires more than I intended to," Lexa said, slightly out of breath. "It was wrong of me to reciprocate in your current state. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Lexa. I want this," Clarke assured her in husky tones, trying to kiss her battered lips again.

But Lexa was being infuriatingly stubborn and just kept her at arms length. She was much stronger than she appeared. "You don't know what you're doing. You'll regret this, Clarke, and I refuse to be yet another of your mistakes."

"You won't be," Clarke said, once more trying to get closer, and once more held back. She huffed in frustration, stomping her foot into the ground like she used to do as a child about to break into a tantrum. "Is this about me leaving you?"

Lexa's grip on her wrist and opposite shoulder intensified, close to the point of pain. Lines tightened in her face, her jaw clenched. The merest of flinches had passed through her beautiful, dimly glowing green eyes, as if she were the one being physically hurt.

"I shouldn't have done that," Clarke said in a softer voice, one choked with repressed emotion. "I didn't want to, but I was scared. And _not_ just about you finding out my secret." She noted Lexa convulsively swallow and her nostrils flare. "You're right. I've screwed up a lot in my life, but running away from you was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made. I see that clearly now. Truth be told, I've seen it for awhile but was too afraid to break our friendly camaraderie." She laughed humourlessly. "I must be the most cowardly griffin to ever have existed." She cleared her throat, disgusted with her own self pity. "You're a good person, Lexa, who went far and beyond what you had to for someone like me. And I have to believe there was more of a reason for it than simple duty. I _have_ to believe I still mean something to you, because I can't bear the thought of you hating me as much as Raven does. And I know I don't deserve you or your forgiveness but I'm asking for it all the same. I _need_ it. I _need_ you."

She was practically in tears by the time she finished her heartfelt speech, terrified of further rejection. Lexa was still holding her, posture rigid, eyes locked onto hers almost as magnetically as in Paris. A hint of mist swam through them. Slowly the iron grip lessened as her body relaxed.

"You're sure?" Lexa queried as her hand trailed down her shoulder and arm, raising goosebumps along her flesh.

Feeling breathless again, Clarke just nodded. Before she knew it, Lexa effortlessly swept her up into her arms and headed towards the bed. Once there, she gently deposited Clarke down and then stood back, methodically undoing every unusual clasp on the side of her jacket, actions slow and steady.

Squirming in impatience and desire, she blurted, "Hurry up woman!"

The corner of Lexa's lip tilted upwards. "I thought you had learned to calm your bo-"

Clarke threw her only pillow at Lexa's head, which the mostly clothed woman swiftly dodged, and then unconcernedly went back to the task at hand. Apparently she had a thousand clasps to undo.

"And _I_ thought _you_ had other business to attend to!?"

The crooked grin was firmly planted now. "I do, but it isn't quite as urgent as I made it out to be."

Clarke was on the verge of either screaming or jumping the infuriating woman again. Was this punishment for leaving her? Come to think of it, Lexa hadn't actually said she forgave her and succubi weren't generally known for turning down an offer of sex. Though to be fair, _they_ were usually the ones offering.

She propped herself up sideways before nervously asking this question. "You _do_ forgive me, right?"

Just as some cleavage began to form, Lexa's fingers stilled on the buttons of her black blouse. The bedeviling leather jacket was now slung across a chair.

_Nice timing, Clarke_! she groaned internally.

Lexa crouched beside the bed, cupping her face. "There is nothing to forgive, Clarke. Our separation was just as much my fault as yours. You simply followed one of two paths I laid out for you. I didn't have to give you an ultimatum, but I did." Lexa rubbed a thumb across her cheek and gave her a small sad smile. "Something I regret everyday."

Reassured, and heart alight, Clarke leaned in for a slow, sensual kiss, and while Lexa was distracted, yanked her into the bed, boots and all.

Lexa didn't protest the next time Clarke shoved her hand down her pants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *latin for concealer...the braille tattoo clarke got.
> 
> Blackwoods are kind of like the Blackhand, which was early mafia.


	7. Pardon My Sex

_I thought it would be_  
_Just a memory_  
 _To linger my heart in pain_  
 _But too much pride_  
 _I opened up my eyes_  
 _And I'm with you dear once again_

_Could this be magic?_

The old but intimately familiar words played over and over while she came down from the third of her highs with Lexa in almost sixty years. Their love making had been equal parts intense and gentle, and it was exactly the way she recalled it used to be. Except this time she was drained. It felt like Lexa had sucked up every drop of chi left in her.

 _So much for controlling her body_ , she snorted wearily to herself.

Exhilarated and exhausted, she flopped back on the slightly damp bed fully, running her fingers through Lexa's partially undone and frazzled hair as the insatiable woman continued to explore her body some more. Rather than tell her to stop, she instead began humming 'their' song in quiet contentment, hoping to grab her attention that way. Her ploy worked, and Lexa stopped kissing and licking her somewhat sore navel area, and just looked over, staring. Clarke felt the usual shiver associated with the hypnotic gaze but didn't let it perturb her. She simply closed her eyes and continued to sing at a barely audible level, reveling in the captured moment from time.

The bed shifted as Lexa crawled nearer, placing her head on her chest, wrapping her up in her tatted arms. Words weren't necessary, so Lexa squeezed her gently in appreciation. She squeezed back in response.

Awhile later, Clarke stopped the soothing tune to ask something she had wanted to know for quite some time. "Lexa," she said, stroking her back, "how did you figure out who I was?"

"I suspected you might be part beast. In fact, I was quite certain. There are few types of fae that can handle me for such prolonged periods of time."

 _I'm not even sure I_ _can_ _anymore_.

"Okay...but how did that tell you who I was? The village...what really happened there wasn't common knowledge."

"No, but the mystery of the Ash's disappearing daughter _was_. Maybe not at that current point in time, or even in Paris itself, but once upon a time in North America it was all anyone could talk about. After we parted ways, I got in contact with an old acquaintance of mine to see if they had any recent information. They didn't, but a couple of years later they informed me that the current Ash had died peacefully in his sleep, and a new leader would soon be chosen. I decided I wanted access to the hall of records there, so I entered the tournament."

Clarke turned on her side so that she could look Lexa in the eyes. "You risked your life for me?" she said in a restrained voice. "Just so you could confirm your suspicions?"

"I was hardly risking my life, Clarke," Lexa said with a slight smirk. "If you'll recall, the games are hosted in the forest."

"So...you cheated?" she replied, arcing a brow.

"I did what I had to do," Lexa said nonchalantly with a shrug.

Not sure how to feel about Lexa killing for her, Clarke cleared her throat and glanced away, fiddling with a small piece of bedspread between them. "And these records helped you figure out what really happened that night?"

"No, there was no mention of any conspiracy there. Your mother was far too clever for that. No, I had to track her down as well in order to get the full story."

Clarke's gaze snapped up at that. "You didn't...persuade her, did you?"

Lexa just stared. Again, Clarke wasn't sure how to feel about Lexa 'thrilling' her mother in that way. Most likely things didn't get sexual, at least, she hoped not. And if they did, well, Clarke sure as hell didn't want to hear all the gory details.

"So that's when you found out about The Blackwoods family I killed."

"Yes, and that's why I decided to keep my position as Ash. I knew one day you might be on trial. As long as I was the light fae leader, I would have final say over what would happen to you." Lexa kissed her shoulder. "And despite the constant demands on my time, I found I enjoyed helping others keep the peace. I've lived long enough to know war never solves anything in the long term."

That reminded Clarke of something. She checked the analog clock by the side of the bed. "Lexa, didn't you have to be somewhere?"

"I do have an appointment at two, but I was thinking I would cancel it if necessary," she said with a sly smile, placing a hand to Clarke's hip and rubbing small circles along the sensitive skin.

Despite the fact that Clarke hadn't yet fully recovered from the last chi sucking session, the resulting tug in her groin made her throw caution to the wind, and back into Lexa's arms.

When her fourth orgasm rocked her, she was just about over the moon, and it took ages to plant her feet firmly on the ground. Eventually her eyes fluttered open to find Lexa propped up on an elbow simply watching her. Clarke was surprised the sexual fiend wasn't all over her again already, though admittedly, she was grateful for this reprieve. She didn't know what was wrong with her, why she was so tired so quickly. Sure she was nearly sixty years older, but that was virtually nothing where the fae were concerned. As usual, Lexa had the answer.

"I would love to spend the rest of day in bed with you, Clarke, but I can see that you're exhausted."

"I am," she huffed in frustration, "and I don't understand why."

"You've never slept with anyone after de-shifting," Lexa said matter of fact. "Much like an energy drink, the initial high of the beast wears off, sapping your strength. I'm almost surprised you were able to handle as much as you did. But then again, you've always been exceptional in this arena."

Too tired to move much, she simply cocked her head to the side to playfully glare. "Had a lot of experience with us beasties have we?"

Lexa was staring off into space, seemingly detached.

"What's up?" she asked, placing her hand over top Lexa's.

"Oh, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Lexa focused on her face. "Do you still wish to know why I was so sure I could control you?" Her insides squirmed uncomfortably, but she nodded regardless.

"I once had a great love. Her name was Costia. She was a magnificent creature. A white tiger. I'll never forget our first encounter." Lexa smiled. "A little over six hundred years ago, she caught me in bed with her girlfriend."

That didn't really seem like something to be smiling about, but Clarke wasn't about to interrupt Lexa opening up to her.

"As you can imagine, she became enraged, shifted and came after me."

When Lexa didn't continue, and just lay there smiling dreamily, Clarke prompted, "How did you escape?"

"I didn't," Lexa said with a grin. "She pounced, pinned me on the ground before I could say a single word. However, before she clawed me to death, I was able to calm her down by wiggling a hand free and touching her paw. That was the first time I learned my powers translated to shifters in beast form too."

"What happened next?"

Lexa looked at her very seriously as she said, "Then we had a threesome."

Guffawing incredulously, "No. You didn't."

"We did," Lexa assured her, solemnly.

"Oh my _God_ , Lexa!" Clarke exclaimed, shoving her shoulder half heartedly. "That's terrible! Holy fuck!"

"It was indeed a holy fuck," Lexa said wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up!" Clarke said, rolling her eyes and groaning at the easy set up, trying not to smile.

Lexa had the biggest smirk on that Clarke had ever seen and that sent her into a short round of uncontrollable laughter. It was hard to imagine Lexa had ever been like that, so carefree and incorrigible. She wondered what had happened to Costia and if that was the reason for Lexa's current stiff and proper demeanor, or if she had simply grown up. Certainly becoming the Ash (because of her) only added to the way Lexa had been back in Paris.

Clarke didn't want to spoil the mood by asking and instead leaned in closer until Lexa couldn't help but to stare at her lips, and whispered, "You know...Indra's hot in a I hate the world kind of way. Very fiery. We could totally have some fun with that later on if you wanted."

Lexa stared at her lips, mesmerized, and absentmindedly murmured, "What was that, Clarke?"

"Nothing, Lexa, nothing at all," she said, lips pressed together tightly, holding back another wave of mirth.

Lexa blinked, looking past her. She sighed. "It appears I can make that appointment after all." She kissed Clarke, lingering briefly before pulling back and saying, "Rest up. I will come for you again as soon as I can."

"Yes. You will," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Lexa smiled, reluctantly got off the bed and dressed. Then she leaned on the edge of the bed making Clarke stare at her lips this time. "And that won't work, Clarke. Indra's immune to my charms."

* * *

"Oh, yeah, Lexa, that's the spot. Mmm, right there. Fuck, that's good," she panted. "Faster, babe, faster."

When Lexa obliged, also panting, Clarke arched her back off the bed as much as possible, which wasn't very much as Lexa was currently half straddling and scissoring her. One of Clarke's legs was nearly vertical and hanging over Lexa's shoulder. Her skilled lover quickly drew more pleasure out of her than anyone had any right to experience on a consistent basis. She shuddered noisily upon completion, grateful when Lexa lowered her leg and just knelt there as she collected herself.

Faster than Lexa was expecting, Clarke pounced, pushing her onto her back like Costia had done all those years ago. She remained poised above her, hands on her shoulders, and then descended, thrilling Lexa with love bites every few seconds. It took very little effort to get Lexa to come again once she worked her way down that far. Enjoying being in control for once, she proceeded to bang Lexa mercilessly, over and over again in different positions until she finally called out her name in a whine that was half ecstasy, half plea. Lexa just lay there, sprawled, drenched in sweat, eyes closed, chest heaving, but otherwise silent. Clarke nudged her knee to no effect.

"Have I felled the mighty succubus?" said Clarke, grinning down at her. "I didn't think that was possible! You're like the energizer fuck bunny."

"Even I have my limits," she croaked out, sounding quite parched. "And, yes, you have succeeded in reaching them, Clarke. You have conquered me." Lazily, Lexa cocked one eye open. "I will need at least five minutes to re-energize."

Clarke slapped Lexa's leg, laughing. "That long, huh?"

"Oh, perhaps four will suffice."

Clarke rolled her eyes and was about to say something witty when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, Clarke twisted sideways to find Raven there, hair down, equally naked as the pair of them.

"What the-" she muttered before Raven sealed her lips in a heated kiss.

"You started without me. I'm going to make you pay, Clarke."

Raven pressed tightly against her back, necking her and kneading one of her breasts. She lowered the other hand towards her nether region. Lexa was suddenly there in front of her, and Clarke now found herself the meat of this delectable sandwich.

"Allow me to assist you, Raven," Lexa said, latching onto her other breast with her mouth and also bringing her free hand down.

"Oh my God," Clarke moaned, as they both worked her over together in perfect harmony.

"You like that, Clarke?" muttered Raven in her ear as she pinched her nipple. Clarke groaned. "Good, 'cause we're just getting started."

"What's going on?" she asked stupidly. "Why are you here?"

Raven laughed. "It's your birthday, moron. You asked me to be here after we made up last week. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, I can't believe I forgot that."

"You're getting sexed up pretty hard. Lexa's a pro. Now shut up and let us give you the gift that keeps on giving."

"Best birthday ever," Clarke gasped, melting into their combined embrace.

It seemed like no time at all before the most odious voice known to man spoke. "Hey girls! Mind if I watch?"

Clarke opened her eyes to find Finn standing there in his too tight leather pants, hand on his crotch, squeezing himself.

"Fuck off, Finn!" she yelled, disgusted. "You're ruining my birthday present!"

Finn just stood there, touching himself and leering, and Clarke got so fed up that she shifted and knocked his head clean off with a powerful swipe of her talons. It flew the full length of the football field she was now standing in, de-shifted and covered in blood. Torn apart bodies were scattered everywhere, Lexa, Raven and her parents among them.

The limbless and/or headless bodies began to reanimate, and freaking out, she tried to run, but they grabbed her ankles and pulled her down with them. Her parents flipped her over and held her in place while Raven crawled on top, eyeless and with a gaping, dripping hole in her chest.

"You ripped my heart out, Clarke, so now I'll rip yours out," she said in a demonic whisper.

A half headless Lexa stood off to the side, wearing the immortality necklace, and just stared.

Soundlessly, Clarke screamed when Raven went to kiss her and maggots poured out of her mouth and-

"Clarke, wake up!" someone said shaking her shoulder.

Wide eyed and heart pounding, she surveyed the darkness, letting her eyesight adapt. That was taking too long, so she frantically felt around beside her half expecting to find Lexa there in bed with her, but there was no one there. Just the darkness and an eerie feeling all around that something bad was about to happen. After taking a few more moments to collect herself, she realized the sheets were soaked, and not just with sweat, and since Clarke knew she wasn't likely to get back to sleep any time soon, she got up, turned all the lights on, and went to go take a shower. Anything to clear the frightening images from her minds eye.

When she was all dried off and in the process of getting dressed, she heard hurried footsteps coming down the stairs and the door being opened. An additional, brighter light source added to the current one. A cloaked figure appeared, and she prepared to fight it, wondering if she were still dreaming. But then the hooded head turned and she saw that it was just Lexa, head fully intact, and she relaxed a little, though she was far from at ease. Lexa moved swiftly over, carrying another cloak in hand. This she thrust into Clarke's hands.

"Lexa, what the-"

"You must put this on right now and come with me, Clarke," she said quickly, an edge to her tone. She kept looking over her shoulder, clearly anxious about something. Finally it clicked.

"They've come for me, haven't they?"

Lexa jerked her head back and nodded sharply. "Yes, they've infiltrated our headquarters and it's only a matter of time before they make their way here. So put that on and let's go."

Mind racing, she just stood there, not complying.

Lexa grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her once, the fear evident. "We have to go. Now!"

"No," she said, making up her mind.

"What do you mean, no?!" Lexa demanded, nostrils flaring. "The Blackwoods are not to be taken lightly. They've risked war for this. If they catch you, they _will_ torture and kill you. Of that there can be no doubt."

"Let them come. I'm done running, Lexa. I've run my whole life."

"Clarke, I know you _think_ you can handle them, but you're not ready. You still haven't mastered your griffin."

"I don't care, Lexa," she retorted defiantly. "One way or another, this ends tonight."

Lexa looked at her forlornly, tears in her eyes, hand to her face. "I can't lose you too, Clarke. I just can't. Not again. Please just come with me. I'm begging you. Please."

She was so broken looking and sounded so hopeless that Clarke's resolve wavered, and with a sigh, threw on the cloak and said, "Lead the way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, I just realized Paris is like Polis. I subconsciously did that I think...either that or I was thinking of Casablanca or something.
> 
> I'm proud of myself for managing to put some Clexan stuff in here. I don't know if that's the ship name for the three of them, but it works as far as I'm concerned.


	8. Where The Screams Have No Name

Lexa took off back the way she had come and together they spiraled up the cut out dirt stairs until they were on the second level of the isolation cells. Swiftly, they moved through this area and then up the next set of stairs. It was while they were doing so that Clarke couldn't help but wonder why Lexa was going this way, _towards_ the bad guys. Why hadn't she simply taken them to safety _through_ the earth directly from her cell? Obviously if she made it, she was capable of moving around vast amounts of dirt, so why didn't she do so again? Was she just not thinking clearly? Or was it something else altogether?

On the first floor of the prison cells, she became even more suspicious. It was too quiet here and there were no guards. There was _always_ a guard on this upper level. Clarke came to a decision quickly. If she was wrong, the worst thing that would happen would be pissing Lexa off slightly. She abruptly stopped, raised her hand and shot a gust of air at the cloaked figures back. Or at least, she attempted to. Nothing happened.

_What the fuck?!_

As Clarke stared at her hand in disbelief, Lexa whirled around at the final set of stairs leading up to the main floor of the light fae headquarters. "What are you doing, Clarke?! Move!"

"What did you do to me?" she demanded, taking a step closer, heart racing.

"We don't have time for this, Clarke! Come _on_!"

"You're not Lexa, are you?" she asked, nearly within arms reach. If eagle's senses of smell weren't shit, she would've known immediately that this person wasn't who they said they were.

Lexa surveyed her coolly, suddenly very calm. "My, but you do catch on quick. We thought that might happen. So we took precautions."

_Precautions?_

Her brain clicked and she went to pull off the cloak. While she was doing so, something hit her in the head hard and she fell to her knees. Teetering on the brink of consciousness, she looked up to find other blurry figures coming down the stairs, but before she could do more than glance them, there was another smack to the head, and she passed out completely.

* * *

When she came to, she was in a dank, dimly lit warehouse that was straight out of a horror movie. Being strapped securely to a vertical fixture in an (ironically) spread eagle position only enhanced her feelings of dread. She yanked against the restraints a few times to no effect. Since she was still wearing the cloak, she found it impossible to shift. She was well and truly fucked, and yet _her_ well being was the least of her concerns.

"What did you do to her you bastards?" she yelled. "What did you do to Lexa?"

There was movement in the gloom and a tall, slender man as ugly as sin came into view. She recoiled slightly at his physical hideousness, all the more so because her eagle vision enhanced every jagged scar and unsymmetrical feature. It looked like someone had shoved his face into a blender and held it there for some time. And with his unspeakable appearance, the horror set up was completed.

His slashed lips twisted in an even more despicable way, and Clarke realized he was smiling.

"So we finally meet face to face. And what a pretty face it is too." He reached out and stroked her cheek. Even his touch felt demented and she inadvertently shivered. He grabbed her chin. "We'll soon change that."

She flinched just as much at his words as the close proximity to such repulsiveness. "What happened to you?"

If possible, the grotesque smile got worse. "I'm so glad you asked, Clarke. Most people are too pussyfooted around me as to be so blunt. Most people simply keep all of their terribly unflattering thoughts to themselves. But you're not most people, are you?"

Well that explained one thing. Whoever had pretended to be Lexa had known about their connection to each other. "You're a telepath."

"Yes, and my friend Alycia was the face shifter you encountered." A dark haired, heavy eyebrowed, scowling woman made herself known too. It was hard to believe she had been tricked at all. Though in comparison to the telepath, she was a fucking supermodel. "If only I had been born with that ability too, how different things might have been." He needlessly gestured to his face. "As you can see, I don't have the best of luck."

She opened her mouth and he said, "My brother."

"Your _brother_ did that to you?!" she said, wide eyed, feeling nauseous.

"Oh yes, he was a nasty little fiend. Had his friends hold me down when I was nine while he hacked my face apart. Why? Because I had accidentally broken one of his favourite toys."

"That's horrible."

"Well, he's dead now, thanks to you, so the world is a much brighter place."

She was confused. If this man hated his brother then why was he-

"Doing this? That's a good question Clarke. You see, I was in love with his wife. And she with me. Do you know how hard it is to find someone who will _fuck_ you when you look like this, let alone _love_ you?" His jaw was clenched tightly. "And you took that away from me. She was going to leave him and those bratty kids for me. For the first time in my life, things were going my way. I was happy. So I'm not going to kill you, Clarke, but I am going to make it so that no one will ever desire you again. Not even that whore The Ash."

That meant Lexa was still alive right?

"Yes, she is still alive...I couldn't kill her because I needed you to feel the pain that I've felt for the past century. I needed you to know what it felt like to lose the one thing you cherished above all else. Raven? Well, yes, you do love her too, I see that clearly, but we both know your heart was never truly in that relationship, now was it?"

Feeling completely exposed she glanced away, changing the topic. "So your solution to your pain is to replicate your brothers reprehensible actions? Hacking my face apart isn't going to make you feel better."

"Not just your face," he said with the most vile smile yet, glancing downwards.

Clarke did her best to control her breathing as she thought about how to get out of this mess, but then stopped because there was no point. Assuming she could formulate a plan of escape, he would just know immediately and stop her. What the fuck was she supposed to do?

"Nothing at all, my dear." He retrieved a blade from his inner coat pocket. "Just sit still and this will all be over before you know it."

Stalling for time she said, "What's your name?"

The man laughed, shaking his head. "Thank you for reminding me of my manners, Clarke. It wouldn't do to cut into you without first being properly introduced." He bowed slightly. "Christophe. Christophe Blackwoods. Now that we've been formerly acquainted, Arabella, would you like to get started?"

"It was a terrible accident," she blurted out. "What I did to your love. I never meant to hurt anyone. I never meant to hurt you, Christophe. I'm so sorry. If I could take it all back, I would. In a heartbeat. I would give away my griffin. Hell, I would give away my faeness altogether if it meant just _one_ person could be brought back."

"Very heartfelt and eloquent, Clarke, but it's not going to save you. As you said to Alycia, this ends tonight, one way or the other. Unfortunately for you, it's going to be _my_ way."

He raised the tip of the blade to her left cheek and very slowly dragged it across. Clarke clamped her teeth together to avoid screaming out.

"That was just a taste," he said, hideous face much too close. "I barely dug in." He whispered into her ear. "It's going to get _much_ worse as we progress."

He stepped back slightly, flipping the bloodied knife into the air before catching it. "I'm feeling lighter than I have in years. So, it's your choice, Clarke. Where would you like me to cut you next?"

Rather than play his sick game, she remained silent, thinking about unicorns, and only unicorns. Christophe backhanded her hard and she bit her tongue. She tried to spit the blood at him but it missed.

"Okay, then, Clarke, if you won't tell me, I'll just have to pick for myself. I warn you now, you aren't going to like it."

He hitched the cloak up, stuffing it into her pants on one side, and then ran the blade up her thigh, hovered over her crotch for a bit, making her freak, and then smirking, went over to her hip bone and stuck the point in just above there. He slashed upward on an angle, and Clarke made fists to stop from screaming. In quick succession, he slashed her a few more times along her side and then moved over to her hand, prying it open and putting the point into her palm. Then he applied a bit of pressure and twisted the blade once it was welling with blood. He repeated this process several times on both hands. Clarke gasped after this, her hands dripping and throbbing when he finally retracted the knife.

_For fuck's sake_. _It's like going to the fucking dentist_.

"Amusing analogy," muttered Christophe. "But you're right, that's enough of that. Let's get back to something more interesting shall we?"

Christophe lightly trailed the knife along her neck, up her jaw and stopped just under her right eyeball. "It wouldn't take much effort to rid you of that, but I want you to be able to see just how hideous you've become when I'm through with you." He dragged the blade along the bone of her eye socket, drawing blood, but again, not cutting very deep, until he reached the top part of her ear. "However, losing an _ear_ would be acceptable."

"Go ahead, you sick fuck!" she snarled, yanking on the restraints, the pain from all of her cuts fueling her rage. "I'll fucking end you if you do!"

His face contorted gruesomely in the biggest smile yet. "Come now, Clarke, we both know you're not going anywhere anytime soon. We have hours yet to complete your transformation. I've coined it 'the anti-chrysalis'."

"Yeah, you're so fucking clever," she said, thrashing around some more. "I'm gonna rip your ugly fucking head off!"

He chuckled, started sawing into her ear, and then, "Christophe!"

"Damn," he muttered, whirling around on the intruder. "It's her."

She looked over expecting to see Lexa come to her rescue, but it was a sleek and stylishly dressed middle aged woman instead. The woman's magenta high heels clicked loudly as she made her way over, expression stormy.

"What do you _want_ , mother?" he grumbled, stepping out in front of Clarke.

"What do _I_ want?" she said incredulously. "Not to have such a dumbass son, that's what! I thought we agreed you weren't going to do anything foolish?" She glared at Alycia, who ducked her head and practically melted into the ether.

He pointed the dagger backwards at Clarke. "She's had it coming for a century, mother. She killed Mircella. You can't just expect me to let that go!"

Christophe's mother was now within arms reach, and she slapped him upside the head. He staggered back slightly, looking mortally offended. "Do you want to start a war?" She boxed one of his ears. "Over that dead cheating slut? Is that what you want?"

"Don't call her that!" he screamed, brandishing the knife in his mother's face.

His mother looked like she was about to melt him with her mind.

"You dare threaten your own mother?" she saidwaspishly. "I thought I raised you better than that."

"Yes, you are the mother of the millennium! That's why Antony did _this_ to my face!"

His mother boxed his other ear and said, "Put that knife down you damn fool and come home."

"No. I haven't finished making her feel the pain that I-"

Suddenly he dropped the knife and threw his hands into his hair, screaming. Christophe's mother was focusing on him intently, so Clarke could only assume she was doing something to his brain. It wasn't too long before he fell to his knees, and then collapsed altogether. She was only too thankful for the end of the hideous shrieks.

The mother looked towards Alycia, who jumped forward and began dragging Christophe away under the armpits. Christophe's mother looked at Clarke then. The withering stare was still firmly in place and Clarke almost welcomed the son back.

"So _you're_ the one who killed my Antony and his babies." The intimidating woman moved in closer.

"I'm so so sorry," Clarke said, wondering what fresh horror would now befall her.

"You should be. He was my favourite child. Not a whiny brat like Christophe." She eyed the fallen weapon and Clarke's insides squirmed unpleasantly. "As much as I want you dead, as much as you deserve to die, you won't. At least not today. I'm too old to deal with another war." She picked up the blade and Clarke's heart rate kicked into gear. "Mind you, now that Christophe has gone to the trouble of getting you here, it seems a waste not to at least do this."

On the last word she thrust the dagger into her neck and yanked it out again. Clarke sputtered in surprise, felt the blood shooting out instantly, no doubt making a ghastly mess. In shock still, she choked on her own blood, but didn't feel the pain yet.

"Oh don't worry, my dear. You won't die." She smirked. "That is, you _will_ die from this injury in a few more seconds, but your death won't be permanent, now will it?"

* * *

Before she even opened her eyes, she knew she was in a different location. First of all, she was laying down. Secondly she wasn't strapped to anything. Thirdly, it was much brighter here than the warehouse. Fourthly, her mind was foggy and there was no more pain.

"I think she's starting to come round," said a distant, nondescript voice. "I'm getting Abby."

Still a part of her brain instinctively knew who it was. "Raven?" she croaked.

She felt a hand on hers, a light pat. "Yeah, it's me. Harper's here too."

"Hey Harper."

"Hey Clarke. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty great actually," she sighed. "Whatever my mom's got me jacked up on is doing wonders."

"That's good," Raven replied, rubbing her thumb along the top of her hand. She could barely feel the sensation and that's when she realized her hands were encased in bandages.

"How long was I out for?"

"It's hard to say...but Lexa found you about a day and a half ago."

That got her attention more fully. With difficulty she forced her eyelids to move. She blinked into the brightness and then focused on Raven's face. She hadn't seen her for over eight months, but she looked exactly the same, though considerably more composed than during their falling out. Her stomach lurched unpleasantly at the recollection.

"You feel sick?" Harper said. "Your mom said the morphine might do that."

Clarke glanced over at the pretty girl with the brown fringe and shook her head. Harper had her hands on Raven's shoulders. Something about the way they were standing screamed newly acquired levels of intimacy. Her stomach lurched again at the idea. Maybe she was just imagining things. Maybe it was just the drugs talking. Maybe she should just be happy for her. She looked back to Raven.

_I missed you._

"I'm glad you're here. Both of you."

"Really? 'Cause I wasn't sure whether-"

"Really, R."

Raven smiled and Clarke smiled back. It might not have been the most tactful thing to say next but she couldn't help it. "And Lexa? How badly was she hurt?"

The smile faded slightly as Raven somewhat grumpily said, "The last time I saw her, she was fine, Clarke. That's the beauty of being a succubus. Instant healing with sexy snacks."

In that moment, Clarke didn't even care who Lexa had macked on.

_The last time?_

"Where is she?" Both Raven and Harper glanced away. Clarke's heart skipped a beat. "Tell me."

"She was really mad, Clarke, like madder than me when that asshole Murphy tried to stick your face in horse crap."

That was the incident that tipped Raven over the edge and she gave him second degree burns all over his body. In an attempt to sit up, Clarke pushed against the soft pillows, and failed. Damn, she was weak.

"Where is she?" she asked again, frowning to cover her fear.

Raven sighed. "She went after The Blackwoods. Alone."

"She _what_?!" Clarke exclaimed, this time managing to sit up straight. "Why would you let her _do_ that?!"

"Like I have the power to stop her, Clarke," said Raven, clearly a bit pissed but trying not to let it show.

"Why didn't you go with her though?!"

"Because I promised her I would watch over you!" Raven snapped, finally losing her temper.

An awkward silence ensued. "Well, what happened?"

"I don't know. We haven't heard from her since."

Despite how lethargic she felt, she peeled off the white hospital blanket and swung her legs over the side.

"Clarke, you can't-"

"What are you doing young lady?" came her mother's stern voice.

Clarke huffed and looked over at her. It had only been a few weeks since her last visit and yet she looked extremely worn down.

"You're in no condition to be going anywhere," Abby said, sweeping further into the room and pushing past Raven.

Clarke looked at her dangling feet, feeling like she had just spilled juice all over her new dress and was now in big trouble for it. "But _Mom_ , Lexa-"

"Lexa's a big girl and can handle herself, Clarke." Abby pulled her face up in order to examine her eyes. "Pupils responsive, no permanent brain damage. Further blood work required." She let go of her face and moved her legs back onto the bed by sending a small gust of wind underneath them with a flick of the wrist. "Now lie back down and get some more rest. It's not every day that you die."

Seeing that she was defeated, she yanked the blanket up to her chin, turned on her side and fiddled with the object that had saved her life, wishing Lexa had taken it with her.

* * *

She must have drifted off again for when she next woke, it was dark outside and there was Lexa in her black attire, standing watch like a silent sentry. When was the last time she had slept?

Noticing she was awake, Lexa moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. Lexa stroked her hair a few times and smiled. Clarke smiled back, pushed up and pulled her into a hug. Under other circumstances it might have been construed as bone crushing, in her weakened state, however, it was classified as normal. "You're okay, I was so worried."

"That was my line," said Lexa, and Clarke could feel her smile widen against the side of her face.

"What happened?" she asked, pulling back enough to look at her weary features. "Did you...did you kill them all?"

"No, but I desperately wanted to," Lexa replied, a hint of darkness leaking into her beautiful eyes. Lexa sighed. "I was very close to slaughtering them all but then I came to my senses, and we sat down to have a nice long talk."

"You're kidding me," Clarke said, bewildered. "About what?"

"About you. Specifically, what would happen to them if they ever tried something like that again. I made them sign a binding contract. The type of contract that if broken, means immediate death to the perpetrator and anyone who authorized the hit. It's the sort of magic forbidden to the light fae...but I decided to make an exception this one time."

"You made a dark magic pact, Lexa?" Clarke said in a hushed voice. "Isn't that...dangerous?"

"Not for me," said Lexa. "Only for those foolish enough to try and break it."

Clarke processed that for a few more seconds and then, "So what does this mean? Am I free?"

"From The Blackwoods? Yes. From your sentence? No. I'm afraid that still stands."

"Oh," she said, looking away.

Lexa put a hand to her face, bringing their eyes back in contact. "I'm working on lessening it though, provided you learn to master your griffin. I also thought perhaps you would possibly like to work here from time to time."

"Here? As in the hospital?"

Lexa nodded. "Think of it as community service. Who knows, you may even come to enjoy helping people, Clarke."

"Yeah, I think I'd like that."

"Good."

Face somber, Lexa's thumb rubbed over the cut just below her eye. "You were so white and cold when I found you. I tried to revive you with my chi, but you had been dead for too long for it to take effect." Lexa's jaw clenched. "I'm afraid those cuts are permanent. They're going to scar."

Clumsily, Clarke placed a bandaged hand over Lexa's. "It could've been a hell of a lot worse."

Lexa jerked her head once.

"Now what?"

"Now you rest."

"And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we begin anew." Lexa's face softened. "Together."

"Together," Clarke affirmed, leaning in for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had contemplated Lexa going into this whole thing about needing Abby's medical expertise because she had had troubles feeding for quite awhile because she lost the women she loved...and this would have kind of paralleled Christophe's dilemma...but I didn't get into that because Lost Girl already did that story line/I didn't feel like it.
> 
> I don't know if it was obvious or not but I hadn't planned on the person at the end of last chapter not being Lexa, but then I thought, this is magic land and shit, so why the hell not? So instead of a big fight sequence, in which Lexa was going to have to stab Clarke in the chest when she went feral...Clarke got tortured. :p Very 100 I thought.
> 
> Anyway, that's it for me. Thanks for reading this wonky thing all the way through! Cheers and Merry Christmas!


End file.
